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The Founder of American Odd Fellowship. 



THE RED BLOOD 



OF 



ODD FELLOWSHIP 



by 

Elvin J. Curry 



of the 

Sovereign Grand Lodge 

I. o. o. F. 



1903 

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 

BALTIMORE, MD. 






^ 



: 



o 



i 

ft 0»-'- 




COPYRIGHT, 1903, BY ELVIN J. CURRY 



Press of 

Fleet-McGinley Co. 

Baltimore, Md. 



TO MY FRIENDS 

IN 

WASHINGTON LODGE 

AND ALL THOSE WITH WHOM 

I AM CONNECTED 

IN 

FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, AND TRUTH 



PREFACE 



The first purpose of this book is to give, in a 
concise form, a history of the vital things connected 
with our great Fraternity. We have several 
valuable histories, but there seems to be a demand 
among the members of our Order for a shorter 
statement of important facts in story form. This 
demand the writer has striven to meet. 

The second purpose of the book is a mission of 
love in the interests of the Mother Lodge of Ameri- 
can Odd Fellowship. Every true Odd Fellow be- 
lieves that Washington Lodge should occupy a 
different position from that to which she has been 
subjected within the last few years. Her members 
want to see her former glory and prestige re- 
stored ; to secure to her many years of future use- 
fulness ; to establish her place of meeting in a per- 
manent, ornamental, and creditable Memorial 
Building, which shall be, in many respects, the 
Mecca of Odd Fellowship, and the storehouse of 
the ancient and honorable relics of her past. 

By devoting the lion's share of the proceeds de- 
rived from the sale of this book to this laudable 
purpose, it is hoped that these ambitious plans 
may be carried to completion. 

By The Author. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I. What Odd Fellowship Stands For i 

II. The Origin of The Order 47 

III. The Mother American Lodge 75 

IV. The Founder of Odd Fellowship 147 

V. Ceremonial of The Order 209 

VI. Woman's Relation to Odd Fellowship. 255 



vii 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

I. Thomas Wildey Frontispiece 

II. Seven Stars Tavern 82 

III. Wildey Monument 147 

IV. Tomb of Wildey 207 

V. Ridgely Monument 230 



WHAT ODD FELLOWSHIP STANDS FOR 



Every thoughtful man who has not had 
the privilege of opening his eyes upon the 
mysteries of a lodge-room has many solilo- 
quies about the probable character of the 
work in which those men are engaged whom 
he frequently sees wearing peculiar collars, 
and who are known to the world as Odd 
Fellows. 

Nothing specially peculiar in the character 
of these men causes him to suppose that they 
are different from other human beings; but 
the fact that the Order to which these men 
belong has nearly always figured before the 
world simply as a secret organization has, to 
a great extent, caused the unaffiliated to be- 
come rather curious about the mysteries con- 
nected with the workings of a lodge. 

Not only has this same secret principle 
elicited inquiry from the curious in the past, 



2 the Red Blood of Odd TellowMp 

but people generally got the wrong kind of 
an impression concerning the character of 
the Order of Odd Fellows, and what it 
stands for. This resulted principally from 
the fact that as an organization it has always 
been reserved ; and, until within the last few 
years, never made any special efforts to let 
the people know of its commendable work 
and to demand its deserved recognition. 

When everything connected with any 
kind of a movement is kept from the people 
they are going to guessing about it. And 
when people start out to guess about a thing 
it is only about one time in a thousand that 
the guess can be relied upon. So it is that 
wrong conceptions are likely to gain prece- 
dence over the right ones, and when a thing 
is not known about the unfavorable opinion 
is likely to prevail. 

Us Claims Recognized 

For a great many years the Order of Odd 
Fellows had to withstand many of the sever- 
est kinds of criticism. The minds of many 



What Odd TcllowsDip Stands Tor 3 

persons were filled with the rankest sort of 
prejudice against it which caused them to 
say it was a worthless and an idle organiza- 
tion, whose members were noted for frivol- 
ity rather than fidelity. The first members 
of this organization were full of mirth, and 
some of them convivial in their habits, as 
many men were in that day, but they were 
never a faithless and worthless class of men. 
History has proved that this prejudice was 
based upon ignorance, as is usually the case. 
It existed among those who knew nothing of 
the great objects and purposes of the organi- 
zation ; or, if they had any knowledge at all 
about its make-up, it was received from 
those who knew little of its principles, and 
who violated those few they were acquainted 
with. And it was directed against the Order 
with the idea that it was wholly a secret or- 
ganization. 

It is true that there are a great many 
things held sacred between Odd Fellows that 
will never reach the public ear, nor be looked 



4 tbt Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

upon by the public eye, not because they be- 
long to that class of things which shun the 
light and shrink from its gaze into the dark- 
ness, but because they belong to that class 
which seek sacred precincts and are associ- 
ated with holy ground. Odd Fellows do 
not, therefore, stand with those who love 
darkness because their deeds are evil, nor 
with those who hide their lights under a 
bushel. They love the solemn, secret vows 
that give strength to brotherhood and love 
to linger around the sacred altar where they 
may receive such inspiration as will help 
them to make the world feel their power in 
bringing humanity into a closer union and 
in lifting it nearer to God. 

Because vice and immorality shun the 
light many persons have reasoned incor- 
rectly in supposing that all things secret are 
to be placed in the same category, and conse- 
quently in associating evil with every private 
or secret organization. On this ground Odd 
Fellowship and kindred organizations have 
been condemned. But this same kind of 



What Odd fellowship Stand* Tor 5 

reasoning would do away with everything of 
merit which the vulgar eye cannot discern; 
it would result in a general condemnation of 
secrecy in the abstract, and would be greatly 
detrimental to the interests of all people ; for 
through all ages the laws of human society 
have been wrapt up in secrecy and mystery. 
In fact, these principles have always been the 
rule in society rather than the exception. 
Everything in the realm of nature, and 
everything in the world of morals, has its 
proper and inevitable secret. There is no 
science, no art, no philosophy, nothing be- 
neath the sun which 

The mind of man 
Can fully scan. 

To argue that because vice and immoral- 
ity shun the light everything else secret is of 
like character is as nonsensical as it is illog- 
ical. There are certain things of different 
kinds that clothe themselves in secrecy which 
could not stand the scrutinizing eyes of the 
upright, and there are those things which 



6 Che tied Blood Of Odd TellowDip 

belong to private realms which would be 
characterized by the purest of the pure as the 
holiest of the holy that serve as the red 
blood to human hearts to inspire them to 
higher motives and nobler deeds. It is in 
this latter sense that secrecy is of great value 
to the world, and in this way it is related to 
Odd Fellowship. It has always been the 
rule of this Fraternity to use secrecy and not 
abuse it, and the workings of any society 
which applies this rule are bound to result in 
good. More than a million men hold them- 
selves in readiness to assert the falsity of 
every statement which conveys the idea that 
any of the secrets of a lodge of Odd Fellows 
is in any way improper ; on the other hand, 
they prove to the world by their deeds and 
examples that they are helpful in making life 
a success. Because the men who have been 
connected with this great Order, and whose 
hearts are bound together by its sacred, se- 
cret ties, have manifested the sincerest fidel- 
ity to the noble objects and splendid pur- 
poses that have been its working impetus, it 



UJtott Odd fellowship Stands Tor 7 

has withstood all criticism and prejudice 
against it and buried them beneath its excel- 
lent charities and large benefactions. 

For many years there has been printed in 
two of the small books issued by the supreme 
body of the Order a tract written on the sub- 
ject, "Odd Fellowship: What Is It?" This 
tract was prepared by James L. Ridgely, 
who served for years as Grand Secretary, 
for the purpose of correcting the wrong im- 
pressions that had got into the minds of 
many people, and to secure for Odd Fellow- 
ship the approving sentiment it richly de- 
served. This seems to have been the first 
real demand this great fraternal organiza- 
tion ever made for recognition from the peo- 
ple. Unfortunately, it was not distributed 
broadcast to the public, as it should have 
been ; it only reached a part of the members 
of the Order. But the objects set forth in 
this tract have been accomplished through 
other channels. An enlightened public opin- 
ion has had a limited opportunity since that 
time to scrutinize the principles and prac- 



8 Cbc Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

tices of the Order; and every man wearing 
the three links may congratulate himself that 
it has given the principles a high position in 
the standard of excellence, and has recog- 
nized the substantial benefits that flow from 
its practices. 

Its Attitude Toward the Public 

The fact is that the Order of Odd Fellows 
has changed its attitude to a great extent. 
It is to its credit that it deals more frankly 
with the people than it used to; they know 
more about it, because its members furnish 
them with more facts. It will not be long 
until the people will realize that our Order 
is not so much a secret society after all. 
The great majority of the things that trans- 
pire both in the State bodies and in the Na- 
tional body are now given to the public 
through the press. All the past legislation, 
comprising hundreds of volumes in State 
Grand bodies and in the National body, are 
accessible to the public eye. Besides, its 
rituals have been printed for years and are 



What Odd fellowship Stands Tor 9 

known by more than a million men, and the 
public frequently sees parts of its ceremonial 
work. . Even its secret work is now printed 
and in the custody of its State officers, so 
that all Odd Fellows who have passed the 
chairs may share equally in obtaining what 
was formerly known as the unwritten and 
unspoken language. Of course, this part of 
the Order is intelligible only to the member- 
ship, and is unwritten and unspoken so far 
as the outside world is concerned. But it is 
not important to the outside world, and is 
used simply for the purpose of mutual rec- 
ognition by members of the Order. Odd 
Fellows have always considered this part of 
their Order as a kind of family affair, and 
claim that they have a right to keep it so. A 
society of its character can be sustained in 
no other way, and no one can deny its privi- 
lege to maintain its identity and individu- 
ality. 

Membership and Purposes 

In the United States and Canada there are 
ten large fraternal organizations which com- 



io the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

mand the respect of the people. While it is 
reasonable to suppose that most people know 
about these various societies, most likely few 
have had sufficient interest in them to find 
out the relative position of each. Because of 
this their order of precedence and the num- 
ber of persons belonging to each are set 
forth, according to the latest statistics, as 
follows : 

Odd Fellows 1,291,164 

Free Masons 941,221 

Order of Foresters 928,035 

Woodmen of America 701,655 

Knights of Pythias 540,138 

United Workmen 43°,ooo 

Woodmen of the World 3I7, 000 

Knights of the Maccabees 294,000 

Order of Red Men 289,401 

Royal Arcanum 270,130 

It will be noted that the Order of Odd 

Fellows has about one-third more members 
than the largest of the other leading frater- 
nal societies in this country and Canada. 
Besides, we are also to remember that the 



Uibar Odd Teilowbfp Stands Tor u 

branches of this Order have spread into 
nineteen foreign countries; and, counting 
the number of persons in each branch, it rep- 
resents 1,613,208 of the good men and 
women of the world. Before uniting with 
the Order each of these persons professed a 
belief in a Supreme Being, the Creator and 
Preserver of the universe, and proved to 
those who received him into the organiza- 
tion that he was of good, moral character; 
also that he was healthy in body and mind. 
These are the qualifications that each candi- 
date for membership must possess. He must 
also be twenty-one years of age. The Order 
demands that every applicant shall frankly 
answer all questions as to these qualifica- 
tions, and where deception is practiced the 
contract between the lodge and the appli- 
cant is considered broken; and he is ar- 
raigned, tried, and expelled. While a med- 
ical examination is not often required, the 
examining committee is usually very careful 
in its investigations. The necessity of these 
qualifications and of care on the part of the 



12 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

committee in examining into them is patent 
because great inequality and injustice would 
otherwise result in the distribution of bene- 
fits. Every person brought into the Order is 
required to obligate himself to be faithful to 
its laws and regulations, and is urged to be 
submissive to the laws of God and the laws 
of his country. 

Good citizenship, fidelity to their broth- 
ers, and honesty in all their dealings with 
men are strictly enjoined upon all Odd Fel- 
lows. The oldest charge-books of the Order 
place prominence on the idea that every 
member has three kinds of duties that ought 
always to be observed — those which he owes 
to God, to his neighbor, and to himself. The 
brother was solemnly charged to never men- 
tion God's holy name except with that rever- 
ential awe which is due from a creature to 
his Creator, and to look upon Him as the 
proper object of reverence. According to 
these views he was to regulate his own life 
and conduct. His actions toward his neigh- 
bor were to be governed by that golden rule. 



UJbat Odd fellowship Stands Tor 13 

laid down in the unerring standard of divine 
truth ; he should never forget that he should 
do unto others as he would that others 
should do unto him. He was to avoid all 
intemperance and excess whereby he might 
be rendered incapable of following his daily 
labor or be led into any kind of behavior that 
would not be in accord with a laudable pro- 
fession, keeping within due bounds and free 
from all pollution. As a citizen, he was to 
be peaceable and dutiful, conforming cheer- 
fully to the government under which he 
lived; to render due deference to his supe- 
riors, and from inferiors to receive honor 
with reluctance rather than extort it. These 
duties were taught in the beginning, and 
have been urged as fundamental in all the 
history of the Order. 

All Odd Fellows are bound together by 
the ties of friendship, love, and truth for the 
purpose of alleviating the sufferings of hu- 
manity. In carrying out this purpose they 
have expended since the Order was insti- 
tuted in this country about $100,000,000, 



14 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

and are now spending more than $4,000,000 
annually in the same channel. They have 
been as true as steel to the great purposes set 
forth in their first charter; they have as- 
sisted their brothers when in sickness or on 
travel, and have consecrated their lives to the 
work of benevolence and charity. More spe- 
cifically, they have visited the sick, relieved 
the distressed, buried the dead, educated the 
orphan, and cared for the aged and indigent. 
Without assuming any prerogatives in a 
spiritual way, being untrammeled in all that 
lies between themselves and God, interfering 
with no duties which their fellow-men owe 
to God, their country, their families, or 
themselves, they have done their best to min- 
ister to man in all his temporal needs. This 
has been their motto : 

To meliorate the sorrows of mankind, 
Relieve the poor, the sick, the maim, the blind ; 
Lift up the drooping heart, the widow cheer, 
And wipe away the helpless orphan's tear. 
To form of men one widespread Brotherhood 
Linked only in the bonds of doing good, 



What Odd fellowship Stand* Tor 15 

Sick and Funeral Benefits 

These commendable duties are not per- 
formed in a careless and hap-hazard man- 
ner. The Order of Odd Fellows was the 
first benevolent fraternal society to introduce 
into this country a systematic method for 
the payment of sick and funeral benefits, and 
for visiting and nursing the sick; these 
are primary features that distinguish it from 
other societies of its kind. Almost every 
subordinate body of its two principal 
branches pays a sick benefit, ranging from 
two to ten dollars per week; and a funeral 
benefit to the beneficiaries at death, ranging 
from one hundred to five hundred dollars. 
They have always been faithful in the 
strictest sense to their obligations along 
these lines, and their work stands unchal- 
lenged before the world. 

Odd Fellows have never been a thriftless 
set, nor have they desired to make a show 
by means of banquets and feasts. The fees 
collected for initiations and degrees are 
placed in the general funds of the lodges for 



16 the Red Blood of Odd Tellowsbip 

the purpose of relieving the sick, burying the 
dead, and helping the widows and the or- 
phans. In fact, each lodge is bound by its 
constitution and its by-laws to its individual 
members in a contractual way for the 
amount of said individual's claim upon it. 
The laws of the lodge not only define the 
reciprocal duties and obligations existing be- 
tween it and the members, but stipulate the 
amount of dues each member shall contrib- 
ute to the general fund, and the amount of 
said member's claim upon it when sick or 
disabled ; also the amount that shall be paid 
to the beneficiaries at the death of said mem- 
ber if he was in good standing. The pay- 
ment of benefits, both sick and funeral, is 
conditioned upon the members being sub- 
ject in their relations to all the laws of the 
Order. Each member is required to seek re- 
dress for all grievances in the tribunals of 
the Order, and in accordance with the pre- 
scribed forms; this is done because his 
brothers in the Order are considered more 



mat Odd T^iiowsbip Stands Tor 17 

capable of judging any violation of Odd 
Fellow law than those without the fold. 

Ministrations Through Homes 

Another way in which the members of 
this Order perform like ministrations is 
through the medium of various kinds of 
homes which they have established in nearly 
half the States of the Union. They main- 
tain thirty of these institutions in twenty- 
two different States, which, together with 
the 1,838 acres of land that they possess, are 
valued at $1,078,970.75. These institutions 
expend annually about $250,000 in minister- 
ing to 1,332 destitute men, women, and chil- 
dren. Seven of these homes were established 
specially for the care and education of or- 
phans. They possess 476 acres of land and 
buildings, which are valued together at 
$295,433.85, expend annually about $72,- 
000 in providing for and educating 481 or- 
phans. Four of them have for their purpose 
the care of the wives, widows, and orphans 
of Odd Fellows. These own 70 acres of 



is the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

land which, together with the buildings, is 
worth $75,000. They expend annually about 
$20,000 in caring for 49 destitute women 
and children. Nineteen of these institutions 
are very broad in their purposes, and were 
established to take care of aged and indigent 
Odd Fellows, their wives, widows, and or- 
phans. These possess 1,282 acres of land, 
on which the several buildings are located, 
which, together with the buildings owned, 
are valued at $708,536.90, and expend annu- 
ally about $158,000 in relieving 802 destitute 
men, women and children. 

It was a red-letter day in the history of 
Odd Fellowship when the idea of establish- 
ing homes of the kind just mentioned en- 
tered the minds and hearts of some of its 
consecrated members who were willing to 
make the sacrifices necessary to launch the 
movement. It not only gave an impetus to 
better and grander work among Odd Fel- 
lows, but it gave an example to the world of 
organized beneficence. "The Odd Fellows' 
Home of Pennsylvania" was founded in 



iilbat Odd fellowship Stands Tor 19 

1873, and was the first institution of the 
kind ever established by any benevolent as- 
sociation. This splendid cause has appealed 
to the great heart of the Order, and from its 
beginning has constantly grown in favor and 
in its capacity for doing good. The old men 
of the Order, who have borne the burden 
and heat of the day in the strength of their 
manhood, find a shelter in these institutions 
when the weakness of age or adverse for- 
tune overtakes them in the evening of life. 
And the wife for whom the husband has pro- 
vided in his days of health and strength may 
share the fortune that becomes his through 
this system of beneficence. Here the widow 
finds a refuge with all the comforts of the 
well-regulated home which she has enjoyed 
in her happier days, and here she receives 
the assistance which is frequently absolutely 
necessary that she may support and rightly 
mould the lives of her children. In these 
noble institutions the motherless and father- 
less children are given the blessings of a 
home, shielded from the snares and tempt a- 



20 CDC tied Blood of Odd fellowship 

tions of the world, and enabled to blossom 
into pure manhood and womanhood. Mag- 
nificent work! — the latest, the most beauti- 
ful, the most helpful mission of Odd Fellow- 
ship. 

Government of the Order 

The scheme of government in the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows is what 
would be called a representative democracy. 
For many years in the English Order every 
lodge was a kind of law unto itself, but that 
system did not obtain long in America. In 
1 82 1, only a short while after the Order was 
instituted in this country, the representative 
idea was introduced into its government by 
the selection of the past grands of the first 
lodge to have control of its legislative, ex- 
ecutive, and judicial functions. These past 
grands organized themselves into the Grand 
Lodge of Maryland and of the United States, 
which became the supreme body. At that 
time only subordinate lodges existed, and 
this was the limit of the jurisdiction of the 



UJbat Odd Telle wsMp Stands Tor 21, 

supreme body, which enacted laws for the 
lodges through the past grands representing 
them. 

There are now four principal branches of 
the Order, and the present system of govern- 
ment, which was inaugurated November 22, 
1824, extends to all of them. The supreme 
body is the Sovereign Grand Lodge, which 
has often been called the Senate of the Or- 
der, and is composed of Grand Representa- 
tives and Grand Officers. The Grand Rep- 
resentatives, whose votes elect the elective 
Grand Officers of the body, are chosen by 
the Grand Lodges and Grand Encampments. 
Each of these grand bodies, no matter how 
small its subordinate membership, is entitled 
to one Grand Representative, and grand 
bodies having a subordinate membership of 
one thousand or more, may send two, but no 
grand body may send more than two. The 
Sovereign Grand Lodge holds annual ses- 
sions, and special sessions are permissible 
under certain conditions, and in certain 
emergencies. It is vested with legislative, 



22 the tied Blood of Odd fellowship 

judicial, and executive powers for the entire 
Order, and these powers, to a limited extent, 
are exercised by the Grand Sire, the presid- 
ing officer of the body, during the interim 
between sessions. It not only makes its own 
constitution, by-laws, and rules for its gov- 
ernment, but carefully scrutinizes the consti- 
tutions of grand bodies subordinate to it, and 
makes the constitutions for the government 
of all the subordinate organizations existing 
in countries where no grand body has been 
instituted. 

Grand Lodges and Grand Encampments 
are composed of the officers and the 
past grands, past chief patriarchs, or elected 
representatives, as the constitution thereof 
may provide. In some jurisdictions the 
Grand Lodge and Grand Encampment are 
representative bodies, the representatives 
being elected by the majority vote of the 
past grands or past chief patriarchs of the 
jurisdiction, as the case may be; while in 
others, every past grand in good standing in 
his lodgre is a member of the Grand Lodge, 



mm Odd fellowship Stands Tor 23 

entitled to a seat, a voice, and a vote therein ; 
and every past chief patriarch in good stand- 
ing in both his lodge and encampment has 
the same rights, powers, and privileges in 
his Grand Encampment. In jurisdictions 
where "the representative system," as it is 
called, prevails, the representatives are 
chosen by the votes of the past presiding offi- 
cers of lodges and encampments, each sub- 
ordinate being entitled to at least one repre- 
sentative, and additional representatives may 
be elected in a fixed ratio as to the member- 
ship of the subordinate. Some of the offi- 
cers of these grand bodies are elected, while 
others in the minor positions are appointed 
by the presiding officers — the Grand Master 
of a Grand Lodge and the Grand Patriarch 
of a Grand Encampment. The method of 
electing the grand officers is not the same in 
all jurisdictions. In those grand bodies 
composed of all the past grands or past chief 
patriarchs the vote is taken while the bodies 
are in session, and only those present may 
vote, while in those where the representa- 



24 Cbe Red Blood of Odd Tellowsbip 

tive system is the rule, a system of voting for 
Grand officers in the lodges and encamp- 
ments generally prevails. Blanks upon 
which to record and certify the vote are fur- 
nished to each subordinate by the Grand 
Secretary or Grand Scribe of the grand 
body. These certified votes are sent sealed to 
the session and are counted and reported by 
a committee to the body when it is ready to 
proceed to the election of officers. Thus 
it is seen that wide range of liberty is 
given by the governing head to its subor- 
dinate grand bodies, which, in turn, are cor- 
respondingly liberal in their dealings with 
their subordinates. 

Next in point of importance to the sub- 
ordinate lodge and encampment, and next in 
the order of creation comes the Rebekah 
branch of Odd Fellowship. In this are 
found most of the wives, sisters, mothers, 
and daughters of Odd Fellows, and many 
past grands. Also, under recent liberty 
granted, many ladies not affiliated with Odd 
Fellows by ties of blood or law have united 



lUbat 044 Tellowsbip Stan4$ Tor 25 

with Rebekah lodges, and have already 
proved valuable in promoting its welfare and 
in pushing forward its work. Rebekah 
lodges, in jurisdictions where no Grand 
Lodge exists, are under the direction and 
control of the Sovereign Grand Lodge; in 
all others they are governed by the Grand 
Lodges of their jurisdiction; often through 
a State body called the Rebekah Assembly, 
in which the officers are required to be of the 
female sex, and to which members of a Re- 
bekah lodge in good standing, either male 
or female, may be sent to represent their Re- 
bekah lodges. The powers of the Rebekah 
Assembly are still greatly restricted. It may 
recommend or ask for legislation by the 
Grand Lodge to which it is subordinate, elect 
and appoint its own officers, and superintend 
the work of the Rebekah lodges in its juris- 
diction. 

The Patriarchs Militant branch of the 
Order is the last organized body of Odd 
Fellows authorized. It is a purely military 
body, wearing beautiful uniforms and using 



26 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

a sword manual and drill prepared and ap- 
proved by the Sovereign Grand Lodge. The 
integral body of this branch is called the 
canton, which must consist of not less than 
fifteen uniformed members, who are called 
chevaliers. The cantons elect their own offi- 
cers, and each jurisdiction is known as a de- 
partment. When a department contains six 
or more cantons it may organize a govern- 
ing body called a department council. The 
whole system is strictly military; the Grand 
Sire is, ex-officio, commander-in-chief, and 
the Grand Secretary is adjutant-general of 
the entire body of Patriarchs Militant. In 
1902 a special officer was appointed with the 
rank and authority of general commanding. 
This branch of Odd Fellowship is quite orna- 
mental and adds a most attractive feature to 
the parades and public demonstrations. It 
especially commends itself to the younger 
men of the Order. Eligibility to its ranks 
depends upon membership in the lodge and 
encampment. Its general laws are made and 
executed through proper channels by the 
Sovereign Grand Lodge. 



WDat Odd Tellowsblp Stands Tor 27 

It is easy to see that the subordinate lodge 
is first and chief in the formation of Odd 
Fellowship, and the heart of the whole grand 
fabric beats there. Membership in any other 
branch depends first upon membership in the 
subordinate lodge, except so far as the Re- 
bekah lodge is concerned, in which, under 
recent legislation, certain ladies may become 
members without other and prior allegiance 
to the Order or its members. 

The Order at large is almost unanimous 
in its approval of the system of government 
which it has devised and created, and it bids 
fair to last always and to rank as the best of 
all systems for the direction and control of 
our great Fraternity. 

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES. 

In different periods of its history the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows has given 
prominence to a variety of principles as be- 
ing fundamental, always advocating those 
that have a world-wide commendation. The 
three that have gained the most prominent 



28 tbe Red Blood of Odd Tellowsbsp 

places and won for our organization the title 
of the great Three-Link-Fraternity, are 
Friendship, Love, and Truth. Every true 
Odd Fellow is expected to serve as a priest 
at the sacred altar of the Order and dispense 
to the world these great fundamental prin- 
ciples. 

Friendship 

And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou 
young man? And David answered, I am the son of 
thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. And it came to 
pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, 
that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of 
David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And 
Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more 
home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David 
made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was 
upon him and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to 
his sword and to his bow and to his girdle. / Samuel 
xvii : 58-xviii : 4. 

We should rejoice that the fathers in Odd 
Fellowship selected Bible stories to illustrate 
its beautiful and fundamental principles. 
As lives the world's greatest book and its 



vUbat Odd fellowship Stands Tor 29 

sublime lessons, so lives our great Order. 
The beautiful story of Jonathan and David 
was selected to illustrate the first great prin- 
ciple of Odd Fellowship because there is to 
be found no other friendship like it between 
mortal men, either in sacred or secular his- 
tory. It was a friendship formed for friend- 
ship's sake, without a taint of selfishness. As 
David was telling his simple story to the 
king, Jonathan saw in him a great heart and 
a great soul, and the true angel of friend- 
ship slipped out of his heart to that of David 
and fastened them together with hooks of 
steel. They became friends, they lived 
friends, they died friends. The terms supe- 
rior and inferior might figure prominently 
where other kings' sens and shepherd boys 
were concerned, but here they have no place 
because the friendship is founded upon the 
sincere principle of love. The one is too 
poor to return the compliment when gifts 
are lavished upon him, but that does not 
keep the other from lifting his friend to an 
equality with him and even pushing him 



3° the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

beyond the height which he himself had at- 
tained in an envious and heartless world; 
nor did it hinder him from honoring and 
comforting his friend and vindicating his 
character to his angry father. And how 
touching that David, in his day of prosper- 
ity and power, after his friend had gone, to 
seek the household of Saul that he might 
show them kindness for Jonathan's sake. 
He takes the maimed son of his former be- 
loved friend and treats him with marked 
favor and distinction, making him as one of 
his own family. Here is a picture of friend- 
ship in its most beautiful character, its most 
helpful service, its most telling results. It 
repeats the same sweet story of all sincere 
friendships — that they are bright flowers of 
love along the dusty highway of life, wet 
like Gideon's fleece with the dew of heaven 
in dryness around. 

There is a necessary inter-dependence ex- 
isting between men that is seldom pointed 
out or dwelt upon. We depend absolutely 
upon one another; there is no such thing 



Ufbaf Odd wmmp Stands Tor 31 

as an independent ship on life's high seas. 
Our comfort, peace, and happiness depend 
in the greatest measure upon the relations 
which we sustain to one another. The more 
intimate the relations become which exist 
between ourselves and those with whom we 
come in contact continually the better will 
we fare at their hands. Odd Fellowship 
observed these conditions and recognized the 
fact that friendship is one of the strongest 
forces in the world that operates toward 
making those relations intimate, and that the 
human family would fare better if friendly 
relations could exist between the different 
elements of society. It, therefore, selected 
friendship as one of its fundamental prin- 
ciples, and advocates the bringing of men 
into a covenant of friendship and love such 
as that which existed between Jonathan and 
David. The world needs to be bound to- 
gether by the strong ties of a friendship 
founded upon human brotherhood, in which 
the kindest offices are pledged and honor 
and affection are sealed; but it hasn't yet 



32 tbt Red Blood of Odd Tellowsbip 

realized its need of such a friendship. When 
it does, the bread will be broken to the hun- 
gry, the cup of cold water given to the 
thirsty, the sick will be nursed, the afflicted 
comforted, the stranger cherished, the im- 
prisoned visited, and the whole world will 
blossom as a rose. 

Odd Fellowship believes in the principle 
of mutual relief and uses its utmost influ- 
ence to extend the sentiment of brotherhood 
and thereby remove the obstacles that exist 
between the hearts of men. Like Jonathan 
and David, Odd Fellows enter into sacred 
covenants between one another, binding 
themselves in the sacred ties of friendship to 
assist one another in distress, help one an- 
other in want, and counsel one another in 
difficulty ; so that by this intimate association 
they may realize to as great an extent as pos- 
sible those benefits which would result if the 
souls of all men were knit together in the 
bonds of universal brotherhood. 

While many fail to govern their lives by 
this principle, all recognize it at some time 



Ulbat Odd fellowship Stands Tor 33 

and in some way ; it has always been a force 
in the world and always will be. Covenants 
are hoary with age, and they are being born 
every hour. As long as there are two per- 
sons in the world having the privilege of 
association, so long will this be a living 
principle. No man lives to himself alone; 
it would be absolutely impossible to find a 
human heart destitute of a desire for friend- 
ship. The presence of a human being is a 
solace to man because he is naturally a crea- 
ture of society. The hermit's life is alto- 
gether unnatural because the normal life calls 
for friendship. 

The mission of Odd Fellowship is to in- 
crease the number of friendships. It teaches 
that the more sincere friendships one forms 
the stronger soldier he will make; and, 
knowing that human life is a battle from the 
cradle to the grave, it instructs its devotee 
to mass his forces. The wise man learns his 
lesson at the altar of friendship, looks anx- 
iously to the future, scans his horizon, and 
reads in its dim outlines the wonderful reali- 



34 CU Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

ties and the great possibilities of life. The 
hills of difficulty and the sloughs of despond 
are pointed out to him, and he is awakened 
as never before to the great need of human 
sympathy. He is made to feel and realize 
that man should be a friend to man ; not like 
the vampire bat, suck human blood while he 
fans with his devil's wings, but one who 
sticketh closer than a brother, who is ac- 
quainted with the kind of human sympathy 
that moves human hands and reaches the 
tenderest chords of human hearts. This is 
the kind of friendship that binds with 
chains which cannot be broken, that multi- 
plies joy and divides trouble. It is freighted 
with great loads of cheerfulness and helpful- 
ness. In its sacred precincts kind words can 
make the tear-drops hang in rainbows even 
in the life of manhood, where the larger 
feelings meet. Odd Fellows learn these 
great truths about friendship, and the Order 
instructs that they shall live by them. 



Uibat Odd fellowship Stands Tor 35 

L<yve 

A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to 
Jericho; and he fell among robbers, which both 
stripped and beat him, and departed, leaving him half 
dead. And by chance a certain priest was going down 
that way, and when he saw him he passed by on the 
other side. And in like manner a Levite also, when he 
came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other 
side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came 
where he was : and when he saw him, he was moved to 
compassion, and came to him, and bound up his 
wounds, pouring on them oil and wine; and he set 
him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and 
took care of him. And on the morrow he took out two 
pence, and gave them to the host and said, Take care 
of him; and whatever thou spendest more, I, when I 
come back again, will repay thee. Which of these 
three, thinkest thou, proved neighbor unto him that 
fell among the robbers? And he (the lawyer) said, 
He that showed mercy on him. And Jesus said unto 
him, Go, and do thou likewise. Luke x : 30-37. 

This is one of the most beautiful and at- 
tractive pictures that adorns Bible walls, and 
it was painted by the greatest Portrayer of 
real life that has ever lived in the world. As 
long as the Bible shall have a place in the 



36 tbe Red Blood of Odd TcllowsWp 

lives of men, so long will crowds stand be- 
fore this masterpiece, admiring it, studying 
it, loving it, losing time, and place, and self 
as they drink in its story. Compassion that 
stoops, pity that helps, love at white heat, 
are all here fresh from the heart of God. 
Here is the vivid contrast between the heart- 
less, handless, purseless, love that operates in 
the light of day when the crowd looks on, 
and the love that makes the heart throb, the 
hand help, and the purse open when human- 
ity is in need, whether there be light or dark- 
ness, one witness, or ten thousand. The set- 
ting of the picture is human love in its 
mightiest sense — a triumphant energy that 
takes hold with hands and helps with arms. 
Odd Fellowship laid hold upon a gem 
when it selected this parable of the Good 
Samaritan to perform such a vital function 
in illustrating its most important funda- 
mental principle. It was no less a wise deci- 
sion when love was made the central force of 
the great Order. As the years have passed 
and made the history of the organization 



UIDat Odd fellowship Stands Tor 37 

this great central force has thrown around 
human hearts the ring of friendship and the 
ring of truth, and brought them into the 
sacred precincts of its beautiful temple, and 
there it has filled them and fired them by its 
divine principle, so that they have become 
sweetly softened and sublimated by its nat- 
ural influence. In this way it causes men to 
become partakers of the divine nature and 
enables them to sustain the most honorable 
and gratifying relations with their fellow- 
men and their Creator. 

This is no trivial doctrine in Odd Fellow- 
ship; it is vital. All true Odd Fellows be- 
lieve that God is love, and that man was in- 
tended in the infinite love of God to be His 
child and heir, and as such to be the happy 
recipient of all the good of earth and heaven. 
They also believe that God is the Universal 
Father, that the race is one universal broth- 
erhood, that universal love should rule in the 
lives of men, and that God in His wisdom is 
using their Fraternity as one of the great 
forces in the world to make men realize and 



:,s the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

understand these things. For this reason 
they claim that their Order is an emanation 
from the mind and heart of infinite benevo- 
lence, and that it may truly be called a sys- 
tem of love. The claim is just, for its doc- 
trines are the truths of love, its principles are 
the rules of love, its promises are the assur- 
ances of love, and its fundamental purpose 
in the world is to expel selfishness from the 
human heart and plant in its room a prin- 
ciple of holy and universal philanthropy. 

Its members, inspired by love, follow the 
angel of mercy to the sick chamber and bring 
comfort to the heart of the afflicted by as- 
suring him that those who are near and dear 
to him shall have their love and protection. 
Love prompts them to lift up the drooping 
head of the tearful widow, and pour the oil 
and wine of comfort and healing into the 
tender hearts of the homeless and helpless 
orphans. It brings them to the grave, where 
they place the evergreen on the bier of the 
brother who was bound to them by ties most 
sacred, and remind the lingering loved ones 



Uibat Odd fellowship Stands Tor 39 

of the beauty and solemnity of the life 
eternal. 

Brotherly love, which is sometimes called 
the love of complacency, is founded upon a 
common relation and a common character. 
The relation, which plays an important 
part, is twofold; we are children of a com- 
mon Father and brothers together of the 
same great family. Believing strongly in 
the existence of these two sacred relations, 
the members of our Fraternity both preach 
and practice them. As a result they are nat- 
urally drawn together in friendly intercourse 
and become mutually interested in the wel- 
fare of one another. Their souls become 
knit together in friendship, and the love 
which is kindled in their hearts prompts 
them to be ever ready to relieve a brother 
when oppressed by affliction. If they are 
true to the tenets of our Order they bear a 
common impress, an irreproachable char- 
acter, which serves as another pillar to sup- 
port brotherly love. They are bound to- 
gether by the ties of honor and morality, as 



40 Cbc Red Blood of Odd Tenowsbip 

well as those of humanity. The family like- 
ness is purity, the badge is that of brother- 
hood, and the bond of union is that of broth- 
erly love. And this is the message of broth- 
erly love that is seeking an abiding place in 
responsive hearts : 

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; 
and everyone that loveth is begotten of God, and 
knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God ; 
for God is love. 

And this is what it does : 

Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; 
love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not be- 
have itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not pro- 
voked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in un- 
righteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth 
all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, en- 
dureth all things. 

To brotherly love the true Odd Fellow 
adds the love of benevolence, or universal 
love, which goes out from his heart to all 
mankind. He realizes that beyond the inner 
circle where brotherly love dominates his 



UJftat Odd fellowship Stands Tor 41 

acts there is the great world that needs the 
love and sympathy of human hearts. 
Through all its history our Fraternity has 
earnestly sought to impress this great prin- 
ciple upon its members and the world. It 
sweeps out of existence all distinctions of 
party, sect, and nation ; recognizes all men as 
brethren ; and persuades us to do unto others 
as we would that they should do unto us. It 
has striven to make men realize that the neg- 
lect to exercise universal love is the source of 
all the evils that afflict mankind and retard 
true civilization. 

No man would commit murder if he were 
in love with all men ; it would be utterly im- 
possible for a desire to murder to enter such 
a man's heart. The man who loves his 
neighbor as himself is not going to steal his 
neighbor's goods, but will be interested in 
his welfare and rejoice in his prosperity. 
One might search the world over and he 
would not find an instance of any person 
bearing false witness against one whom he 
loved. And where would be found the adul- 



42 tbc Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

terer to defile the purity and sweetness of the 
home, and destroy its happiness forever if 
universal love reigned supreme in the hearts 
of all men? If the love of God and man 
found lodgment in all hearts, murder, theft, 
slander, and adultery would be obliterated 
from the world, and the very words would 
be dropped from human language. These 
and numerous other flagrant wrongs issue 
from the loveless heart, that prevents the 
sympathy that binds to others, makes its pos- 
sessor utterly disregard other interests than 
his own, forget the demands of the social 
law upon him, and even blinds him to the 
fact that his own welfare and comfort are 
interwoven with those of the great mass of 
humanity. But if the whole heart is ani- 
mated, illumined, empowered, and controlled 
by the divine principle of love, the man's 
life will conform to the Golden Rule, and all 
such evils will pass him by ; for whoever has 
that motive power is regal and godlike. And 
if the world were full of men with such 
hearts they would understand the compre- 



Wtott Odd fellowship Stands Tor 43 

hensive truths of life and realize that their 
relations and duties are important and al- 
most unlimited ; they would not forget that 
mankind forms one great family, that the 
earth is one great country, and that the hu- 
man race is one great nation. It is this di- 
vine principle of universal love, which has 
done so much for the world, that Odd Fel- 
lowship magnifies and exalts. 

Have love — not love alone for one, 
But man as man thy brothers call, 

And scatter, like the circling sun, 
Thy charities on all. 

Truth 

Truth crushed to earth shall rise again ; 

The eternal years of God are hers ; 
But error, wounded, writhes with pain, 

And dies among his worshippers. 

No one will question the decision which 
made Truth the third fundamental principle 
in Odd Fellowship, and that which crowns 
the fabric. It connects itself in the most in- 
timate and vital way with the principles of 



44 tbe tied Blood of Odd fellowship 

friendship and love. It seals friendships, 
and is the natural product of sincere and 
constant love. The man who is faithful in 
his friendships and constant in love will have 
truth to sparkle on his character as a dia- 
mond of the first water. Odd Fellowship 
has given prominence to truth as the treas- 
ure for which the candid mind ever seeks, 
the consummation for which we apply in all 
our investigations; and teaches that if the 
proper relations should exist between all 
men as members of one great brotherhood 
they would be prompted to love one another ; 
and if they really loved sincerely, then truth 
would result spontaneously in all their ac- 
tions. 

Odd Fellowship teaches that if men are 
faithful to the behests of truth it will serve 
them as the imperial virtue and will appear 
in all they say and do. Truth is the sanction 
of every appeal that is made for the good and 
the right ; it condemns the wrongs, the sins, 
and the falsehoods of the world ; it is omnip- 
otent and must bring victory, however long 



UJbat Odd Tellow$bip Stands Tor 45 

in achieving it. The man of truth is the best 
and strongest man. His soul, like a spring of 
clear water, reflects the light of heaven, and 
is full of life. His speech and his actions are 
always just; he wins involuntary respect; 
he blesses and purifies all around him. He 
becomes a solid landmark amid the waves 
of faction, the storms of passion, and the 
conflicts of error. 

To speak the truth in love is the cardinal 
distinction of a good Odd Fellow. He feels 
authorized to correct, in the spirit of love, 
the errors and irregularities of his brothers. 
He is constantly impressed with the idea 
that he must be true everywhere, at all 
times, and to all persons with whom he may 
come in contact. In this way he manifests 
to the world that he has given attention to 
and learned the valuable lessons of the Or- 
der, and proves by his life that the Frater- 
nity is one of true moral influence. Erected 
upon the sure foundation of universal broth- 
erhood, with its doors of relief and sympa- 
thy opening on the right hand and on the 



46 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

left, our great institution imparts the beau- 
tiful and sacred sentiments of Friendship 
and Love, and sends forth its inmates clothed 
with the dignity of Truth to bless and purify 
and uplift humanity. 



THE ORIGIN OF THE ORDER 



Some persons have thought it remarkable 
that the largest and most active fraternal 
organization in the world — that of the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows — should have 
no established birthday. But when we learn 
that the institution of lodges in this Order 
was brought about by a gradual development 
in social conditions because of the needs of 
communities, we are not so much surprised 
that there is no exact date as to its origin. 

Inasmuch as this Fraternity counts in this 
country as its members about 1,300,000 men 
and women, expends each year $4,000,000 
for relief, and shows an annual increase in 
membership of about 85,000, besides mak- 
ing splendid progress in nineteen foreign 
countries continually, I am persuaded that 
the following discussion will be of interest to 
my readers. 

47 



43 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

Among those who have discussed the ori- 
gin of Odd Fellowship we find two classes of 
extremists. There are those who do not like 
to be excelled by the ardent antiquaries in the 
Masonic order, and have tried to make Odd 
Fellowship as hoary with age as Father Time 
himself. There are others who do not care 
to look backward beyond the year 1819, 
when the first lodge was instituted in this 
country, and seemingly stop their ears to 
argument and close their eyes to history. 
However, because there are marks of simi- 
larity between our modern Order and ancient 
institutions, and because our Order as it ex- 
ists in this country to-day has become purely 
an American institution, we must have re- 
spect for the opinions of both of these classes. 

Not a few have labored diligently to carry 
the birth of this great Fraternity back to the 
palmy days of sunny Egypt. They assert 
that the organization is a direct descendant 
of the "Mysteries of Egypt," an institution 
which had a solemn and impressive initiation 
and gave advantages and benefits of various 






the Origin of tbc Order 49 

kinds to its members. Many have claimed 
that it was born in the golden days of 
Greece. Some of these are almost mystically 
enough inclined to believe that the fabled 
King Erectheus was initiating Odd Fellows 
when he is said to have woven the Eleusinian 
mysteries around the Athenians long before 
the Christian era. Others have delved into 
the rites and ceremonies of many ancient 
peoples in trying to trace the Order beyond 
what most of us believe is its legitimate 
period. Because of a far-fetched similarity 
which these scribes say has existed between 
some of the rites and ceremonies of many of 
the ancient peoples and our modern Order 
they have been persistent in past years in try- 
ing to establish a vital connection. They 
claim that it would add greatly to our pres- 
tige to establish a lineage from the mysteries 
of the ancient world and its civilization to 
our great organization. They would appeal 
to antiquity with the self-conscious pride of 
ancestry that permeates the members of a 
family with a noble heritage. 



50 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

The Secret Principle 

It is not the purpose of the writer to carry 
his readers into that vast storehouse of litera- 
ture which deals with the secret principle 
connected with the mysteries of all ancient 
nations. One is prone to become weary in 
dealing with the delicate and difficult, espe- 
cially if no positive result is likely to be 
reached. So as we shall tread among shad- 
ows and on somewhat uncertain ground, we 
shall not tarry by the way, except to take 
advantage of what is interesting and helpful. 

It has always been difficult to deal with 
what is called the secret principle and almost 
impossible to arrive at definite conclusions 
with regard to it. The region of the myste- 
rious will ever be enchanted ground, whether 
traversed by heathen or Christian. Its ways 
are bounded by clouds and darkness, which 
are pierced only by faith and hope; and 
while the imagination of the traveler may 
disport itself on the wings of a wild and 
exuberant curiosity, it cannot make patent 
the things that are connected with the undis- 



tbc Origin of the Order 51 

covered. The writers of the many books 
extant on the subject have done much guess- 
ing and have confounded in a ruthless way 
the origin, principles, and results of both soci- 
eties and sects. Thousands of volumes have 
been devoted to elaborate treatment of the 
development of the secret principle in detail, 
and it has been shown to affect every race 
and country, every form of knowledge, and 
the whole practical framework of society; 
in fact, its outgrowth is asserted to have 
shaped the faith and practice of the world, 
and its history would be the history of man 
from his creation. No one has ever seemed 
to doubt this secret principle, which has been 
so prevalent in the lives of all peoples and to 
the greatest extent connected with many of 
the secret societies that have had their origin 
in different periods of the world's history. 

It would be entirely too difficult to under- 
take even a short sketch of the ancient mys- 
teries. This would require a repetition of 
much, ancient history connected with Egypt, 
China, Japan, Palestine, Greece, Great Brit- 



52 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

ain, Scandinavia, and many other countries. 
As the devotees of the theory which connects 
the origin of Odd Fellowship with the 
ancient mysteries have confined themselves 
principally to Egypt and Greece, it might not 
be amiss to stop by the way to consider the 
ceremonies which are supposed to have been 
used by the peoples of those countries. 

Of course, as the principal ceremonies of 
such institutions are always secret, we can- 
not be positive as to the service used in intro- 
ducing candidates to membership in these 
institutions, but the supposed initiatory cere- 
monies have come down through history to 
us. And as most persons have enough curi- 
osity to enjoy what has once been enshrouded 
for years in the realm of secrecy, a setting 
forth of the principal features of these cere- 
monies seems in order. 

The Egyptian Mysteries 

The Egyptian mysteries, about which the 
strongest claims have been made, had the 
great pyramid which was considered the 



the Origin of the Order 53 

tomb of Osiris and was erected over subter- 
ranean caverns as the place of initiation. 
The candidate was placed in charge of a con- 
ductor, who led him to a deep, dark well in 
the pyramid, and, after providing him with a 
torch, made him descend into the well by 
means of a ladder affixed to the side. Hav- 
ing reached the bottom, he beheld two doors 
— one of them barred, the other yielding to 
the touch of his hand. Passing through the 
latter he was confronted by a winding gal- 
lery, while the door behind him shut with 
such force that the walls seemed to tremble 
and the clang reverberated through the 
vaults. Then he was made to read the fol- 
lowing inscription : "Whoso shall pass along 
this road alone, and without looking back, 
shall be purified by fire, water and air ; and, 
overcoming the fear of death, shall issue 
from the bowels of the earth to the light of 
day, preparing his soul to receive the mys- 
teries of Isis." Moving forward he came to 
an iron gate which was guarded by three 
armed men who wore shining helmets 



54 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

that were mounted by an emblematic ani- 
mal, the Cerberus of Orpheus. At this point 
the candidate was permitted to return, if he 
so elected, but if he concluded to proceed it 
was his last chance. 

The next step was to undergo the trial by 
fire. This was done by making the candidate 
pass through a hall filled with inflammable 
substance in a state of combustion, which 
was placed so as to form a bower of fire. 
The floor he traveled over was a solid grat- 
ing of red-hot iron bars, with only narrow 
interstices where he might place his feet. 

Following this ordeal came the trial by 
water. A wide, dark canal which was fed 
by the waters of the Nile was before him. 
After having a flickering lamp placed upon 
his head, he was made to plunge into the 
canal and swim to the opposite shore, where 
the severest ordeal, that by air, awaited him. 

He had already landed upon a platform 
which led him to an ivory door, the passage- 
way being bounded on each side by walls of 
brass, into each of which was inserted an 



the Origin of toe Order 55 

immense wheel of brass. He was then 
ordered to open the door and took hold of 
two large iron rings attached to it with the 
purpose of obeying instructions when, to 
his utter amazement, the whole platform 
under him gave way. His lamp was extin- 
guished with a chilling blast from the two 
brazen wheels, which revolved with such a 
power and noise as to take his breath away 
and deafen him, and all this while he was 
suspended over the fathomless abyss by 
clinging to the two rings. Just as he con- 
cluded that he was face to face with death 
the platform returned, the ivory door opened, 
and he looked and beheld a beautiful temple, 
brilliantly illuminated and thronged with 
gaudily-robed priests of Isis, bearing all the 
insignia of their offices. 

After this the neophyte was put through a 
series of fastings, which continued for nine 
times nine days. He was required to be as 
silent as the dead for the whole period, and 
if he was successful as a good novitiate he 
was completely initiated into the esoteric 



5* tbc Red Blood of Odd Ttliowbip 

doctrines of Isis. Standing before the triple 
statue of Isis, Osiris, and Horus — a symbol 
of the sun — he sacredly obligated himself 
never to publish the things revealed to him 
in the sanctuary. Then the high priest 
brought him the waters of Lethe and com- 
manded him to drink, that he might forget 
all the bad connected with his past; and 
after this the water of Mnemosyne was given 
to him, that he might remember all the les- 
sons of wisdom imparted to him. When 
these requirements were complied with he 
had admittance into the most secret parts 
of the sacred temple, where he was told all 
about the symbols connected with it. He 
was at last introduced as one who had been 
initiated into the mysteries of Isis, the first 
degree of the Egyptian mysteries. 

This is most likely a very nearly complete 
statement of the initiatory ceremony of the 
Egyptian mysteries. There seem to have 
been two other degrees. In the third degree 
the candidate was instructed about the unity 
of God, the great primeval power and intelli- 



Cbe Origin cf tbc Order 57 

gence, and was given a name taken from that 
of Deity. 

The Grecian Mysteries 

Every person who desired to become a 
partaker of the Grecian mysteries had to go 
through a process of purification by means of 
ceremonial washings, prayers, and sacrifices. 
He had to serve his time in what was called 
the lesser mysteries as a probationary candi- 
date, then he was admitted to the greater and 
more sublime mysteries. "Hence, far hence, 
be the impious, the profane and those whose 
souls are polluted with guilt," are said to be 
the words used by the conductor as the nov- 
ice crossed the threshold that led to the 
greater mysteries. With a myrtle wreath on 
his head, to indicate his purity and his serv- 
ice as a probationer, he was taken into a 
darkened room. For a few moments solemn 
stillness reigned. Then he was reminded of 
the just benefits that were conferred upon 
those who participated in these rites and of 
the purity of heart necessary for a proper 
reception of them. Ablutions in water came 



5« the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

next in token of his spiritual regeneration. 
As the body was thus cleansed, so should 
each one approach the mysteries with a mind 
divested of all defilement. Lessons were 
imparted, questions propounded, spectacles 
of different kinds presented, and funereal 
forms passed by which personified death and 
all the ills to which flesh is heir. There were 
described the terrors of the punishment of 
the guilty, accompanied by the exhortation, 
"Learn by our example to reverence the 
gods, to be just and grateful." All this was 
done in the most impressive manner. There 
were also flashes of fire, rumblings of thun- 
der, showers of rain, dangerous roads, awful 
precipices, and rushing torrents — "all ren- 
dered terrific by spectres and phantoms meet- 
ing the eye on every side." Such are said to 
be the lessons and the experiences gone 
through with by every novitiate who entered 
the Grecian mysteries. 

After these initiatory ceremonies were 
given in complete forms the candidates were 
always lectured and given instruction as to 



the Origin of the Order 59 

the meaning of the different steps in the 
ceremonies. These lectures were always 
complicated and involved — so much so, that 
they were nearly always too difficult for the 
common people to understand. 

Now and then there occurs in these cere- 
monies something that reminds the Odd Fel- 
low of some of the things which he experi- 
enced when he was clinging to the long hair 
of the goat. Most certainly he who has 
enjoyed the fascination of a ride on that 
sure-footed animal of Odd Fellowship cannot 
say what these things are. At the same time 
he can truthfully assert that these ceremonies 
lack a good deal of being like those he 
himself passed through. And while there is 
a similarity in rites and ceremonies sufficient 
to arouse the curiosity of the inquisitive, it is 
purely accidental, and research has proved 
that the fundamental principles of our Order 
have little in common with the ancient mys- 
teries. 



6o the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

The Story of the Jewish Legion 

This same statement may be applied to 
what is said by a respectable authority to be 
the most common account of the origin of 
the Fraternity of Odd Fellows. I refer to 
that account which asserts that it originated 
with the Jewish legion under Titus Caesar, 
and that this legion received its first charter 
from Titus written on a gold tablet. 

In 1838 the Grand Master and Board of 
Directors of the Order in England sent, in 
compliance with a request, to the Grand 
Lodge of the United States (now the Sov- 
ereign Grand Lodge, I. O. O. F.) what they 
seemed to consider at that time a correct 
sketch of the origin of the Order of Odd Fel- 
lows. The story is as follows : 

The Order was first established among the soldiers 
of the Jewish legion in the Roman army, within the 
reign of Nero, about 55 A. D. At this time its mem- 
bers were called fellow-citizens. About twenty-four 
years after this Titus Caesar, observing the singularity 
of their notions, the fact that they knew each other 
by night as well as by day, and their fidelity to him 



tl>c Origin of the Order & 

as well as to their country, called them Odd Fellows. 
That men should act so in those days was something 
new under the sun, hence they were called "odd." As 
a pledge of his sincerity and friendship, Titus pre- 
sented them with a large gold plate, on which was 
engraved a charter and the following emblems : The 
Golden Candlestick, the Ark of the Covenant, the 
Royal Arch of Titus; the noble grand was repre- 
sented by the sun, the vice grand by the moon, the 
secretary by a lamb, the guardian by a lion, the war- 
den by a dove, and the Grand Master by the emblems 
of mortality. 

Agricola, one of Titus Cassar's generals, shortly 
after the organization was effected, made an invasion 
of Wales, carrying with him many Odd Fellows, sev- 
eral of whom afterward drifted into the Island of 
Mona, later called Anglesea. 

In the fifth century it was established in Spain, in 
the sixth in Portugal, in the twelfth in France, and 
shortly afterward in England by John D. Neville. A 
Grand Lodge of Honor was instituted in England by 
Neville, who was assisted by five knights from 
France. The Order thus established remained until 
the reign of George III, in the eighteenth century, 
when it organized a union which, it is claimed, still 
remains. The lodges which have developed from 
this union are numerous throughout the world. They 
called themselves the Loyal Ancient Order of Odd 



62 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

Fellows, and claim to be a portion of the original 
body. 

One is safe in saying that all American 
and many English Odd Fellows look upon 
this story as a myth. Some have boldly pro- 
claimed that it is made up of nonsensical 
speculations, and that those who adhere to it 
are "overzealous brethren, who have allowed 
their absurd fancies to steal a march on their 
better judgment." So it seems that in both 
England and America all the preceding theo- 
ries have been continually losing ground, and 
that those who have made careful investiga- 
tions agree upon a mean position and reach 
the conclusion that the Order of Odd Fellows 
developed from the guilds of England. The 
facts hereinafter set forth seem to justify 
such a conclusion and to prove that the Order 
was established by a gradual development 
out of these organizations. 

The Early English Guilds 

Mr. Toulmin Smith, near the close of his 
life, after having spent years in making a 



tbe Origin of tbe Order 63 

most thorough study of English guilds, said 
that the ancient principle of association had 
been in use a living practice among the peo- 
ple of England for more than a thousand 
years. It was his conviction that this prin- 
ciple of association was a part of the essential 
life of England. He believed that if the 
spirit with which those early fathers met 
together, prayed together, aided one another ; 
their faithfulness to charity, liberty, and law, 
could be shown to their brethren and sisters 
of these latter days, it would not only bring 
closer to the present the hearts and hands of 
the past, but also the work would, by exam- 
ples, give invaluable practical hints to men 
and workers now. His researches undoubt- 
edly prove that the principle of association 
for mutual help in the affairs of life is found 
in name and in fact in the English laws of 
nearly 1200 years ago; also that it existed in 
activity then and continued in a very living 
spirit in the land, through the changes of age 
and circumstance, long before the time of 
which we have full records. These state- 



*4 Cbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

merits were made to show the spirit which 
prompted the organization of the guilds. He 
gives references to the laws of Ina (688- 
725), Alfred (871-901) andAthelstan (925- 
940), to prove his statements. 

The early English guilds were instituted 
for local self-help, just as lodges are insti- 
tuted for the same purpose to-day. Their 
membership, as is that of our lodges, was 
composed of persons living in the same 
neighborhood or city, who were bound to- 
gether because as neighbors they had com- 
mon obligations. The principles which gave 
the guilds life were always the same. Their 
purposes were, as one of their constitutions 
states, to set up something higher than per- 
sonal gain and mere materialism as the main 
object of men, and to make the teaching of 
love to one's neighbor so as not to be coldly 
accepted as a hollow dogma of morality, but 
known and felt as a habit of life. They stood 
for mutual self-help and manly independ- 
ence. They were sworn brotherhoods be- 
tween man and man, established and fortified 



tfi* Origin of tbe Order 65 

upon "ad (pronounced odd) and wed," oath 
and pledge. 

Lodges Developed from Guilds 

Every Odd Fellow who reads this will 
observe that the spirit of his great Fraternity 
breathed in these institutions and that the 
objects and purposes are the same. By an 
examination of their constitutions and by- 
laws he will also find almost the complete 
workings of a lodge of Odd Fellows, so far 
as the general business is concerned, set forth 
therein. 

Taking the Guild of Garlekhith, (London, 
1735) we find the constitution as follows: 
Purpose, to nourish good-fellowship; initia- 
tion fee charged ; warden collected fees ; par- 
aphernalia worn; anniversaries celebrated; 
stipulated amount of dues charged; regular 
meetings held ; donations made to distressed 
members; disorderly conduct condemned; 
funeral ceremony observed and benefits paid ; 
every initiate had to make oath, and pledge 
his honor. Such is an outline of the constitu- 



66 tbt Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

tion of the above-named guild. It would 
come very nearly meeting the demands of a 
lodge of Odd Fellows in this the twentieth 
century. We would smooth off the rough 
places just a little, make a few other changes 
and work right on without friction. 

The "ad and wed," oath and pledge, of the 
guilds were among their most prominent 
features, as they are among the most promi- 
nent features of Odd Fellows' lodges. And 
I believe, also, the statement is correct which 
asserts that this is the source of the name of 
our Order. It seems quite natural that the 
people of those early days who observed 
what those men did who were bound together 
by "ad and wed" should call them "ad and 
wed," oath and pledge fellows. It seems 
quite as natural that they should drop the 
latter term and use only the first and call 
them "Ad" Fellows, which is the same as 
"Odd Fellows," the name by which they are 
now designated. 

I am aware that the popular interpretation 
of the term "odd," as used in our Order, is 



the Origin of tfte Order 67 

that it means the same as in the ordinary use 
of the word. I have not forgotten that there 
is an intimation of the same use of the word 
in the ritualistic work of our Order. Odd 
Fellows do seem odd to many persons, and 
most likely always do to the novitiate; but, 
as in the olden time, they are still bound 
together by "ad and wed," and are in truth 
"Ad" (oath) Fellows just the same. And 
even though we accept the explanation that 
the name was given because those who wore 
it were marked exceptions in their day, and 
therefore odd, it does not affect the conclu- 
sion that Odd Fellows' lodges developed 
from the English guilds. 

As I have stated before, there is no exact 
date which marks the culmination of the 
development from guilds into lodges. Defoe, 
in The Gentleman's Magazine, in 1745, 
makes mention of Odd Fellows, but gives no 
specific information as to the institution of 
the first lodge. He states that the lodge was 
a place where very comfortable and recrea- 
tive evenings might be spent. 



63 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

The records of Loyal Aristarchus Lodge, 
No. 9, seem to be the oldest that have been 
preserved. These records show that this 
lodge of Odd Fellows was holding its meet- 
ings in 1745, and indicate that it was insti- 
tuted many years earlier. The regular meet- 
ings were held at the Oakley Arms, Borough 
of Southwark; Globe Tavern, Hatton Gar- 
den; or the Boar's Head, Smithfield. The 
noble master seems to have had the power 
to call the meetings, which were directed to 
be held at either of the above-named places. 

The Ancient Order of Bucks 

A very pretty manuscript copy of the ' 'Con- 
stitution of the Ancient and Noble Order of 
Bucks" was found some years ago in Eng- 
land. This manuscript has a peculiar inter- 
est for an Odd Fellow, because the frame- 
work and the objects and purposes of the 
organization described therein seem to indi- 
cate that it forms an important link in the 
development of the ancient guilds into lodges 
of Odd Fellows, or, at least, that it was 






Ok Origin of toe Order 69 

working along the same line under a differ- 
ent name. 

This manuscript consists of forty - four 
leaves, measuring seven by nine inches, writ- 
ten upon one side in a variety of colors, hav- 
ing both pages and paragraphs enclosed in a 
double line of red ink. While the different 
colors of ink do not show the sources of the 
different statements of the manuscript, as 
does Professor Haupt's Bible, it might well 
be called a polychrome manuscript. The 
peculiar shape and character of the letters 
indicate that it is a copy of a much older 
manuscript. Mr. William Riley, in his Reg- 
ister of Societies, published in 1773, seems 
confident that such is the case. In this book 
he asserts that the "Most Noble Order of 
Bucks," which he shows was organized about 
1722, at that time ranked next to the Order 
of Free Masons. 

In this society the title of the presiding 
officer was "Most Noble Grand," the same 
exactly as that found in our older installa- 
tion ceremonies and which I have heard used 



70 tfte Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

by old Odd Fellows in addressing the Chair. 
As now used, the only difference is that the 
word "most" has been eliminated. The title 
of the chairman of the quarterly grand 
committee was Grand Master, the same as 
that of the principal officer of our State 
Grand Lodge. This committee reported 
through a Grand Secretary to what was 
known as the United Order. Just as our 
Grand Secretaries of State, Territorial, and 
Provincial grand bodies, also of our foreign 
grand bodies, report to our Sovereign Grand 
Lodge. The Order in England has always 
been governed by annual or quarterly grand 
committees, and when first instituted in 
America it was governed in the same way. 

The members of this ancient Order met 
weekly in clubrooms or taverns for the pur- 
pose of promoting innocent mirth and good- 
fellowship, and where they said candor, soci- 
ability, freeness, and honesty were celebrated 
as the accomplishments of fraternity. 

This reads very much like the story of the 
beginning of Odd Fellowship in this coun- 



Che origin of the Order 71 

try. The conviviality of our early brethren 
was one of their prominent characteristics, 
such as would not be tolerated to-day. In 
fact, we now have a constitutional law 
against the use of intoxicants at our ban- 
quet and social gatherings. The regalia and 
paraphernalia, the mementos and the em- 
blems of the Ancient and Most Noble Order 
of Bucks were strikingly similar to those 
used by the Order of Odd Fellows. 

We call our great Order the Three-Link- 
Fraternity, which means that it stands for 
Friendship, Love, and Truth. Some have 
claimed, and reasonably so, I think, that the 
three links have been brought down in his- 
tory from the emblem of this ancient society, 
which was three bucks' heads, with large 
antlers, that were linked together by means 
of their branches. The antlers are said to 
have been brought together at the top, loos- 
ened from the heads, and in this way the 
three links — the most prominent emblem of 
Odd Fellowship — was formed. 

In this Ancient Order of Bucks, as con- 



72 Cbc Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

nected with the ancient guilds, we have a 
forcible illustration of how, by a gradual 
process in the way of sloughing off and refin- 
ing, higher classes of organizations may be 
developed from the lower. It represents 
about the middle period of the development 
from the lower to the higher order of bene- 
ficial societies. 

The Greatest Beneficial Society 

Those generic elements in men, which nat- 
urally bring them into close communion for 
the purpose of driving away poverty by 
mutual relief and for social enjoyment, have 
been the impelling force in the organization 
of friendly societies in all ages. This force 
operated in the early history of England to 
better the conditions common to all men 
through the guilds, and from this root it has 
spread and developed the greatest of benefi- 
cial societies. The Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows is to-day the Beneficial Society 
of the world, and most Odd Fellows are san- 
guine enough to believe that it will continue 



Cbe Origin of tbc Order 73 

to hold the first place among societies of its 
kind for years and years to come. As a 
beneficial institution it receives dues and pays 
benefits, but as a moral and spiritual institu- 
tion it deals with the higher motives and 
ministers to the finer nature, and therefore 
goes a step beyond a merely beneficial society. 
The light of a splendid humanitarianism 
penetrates every nook and corner of the 
great edifice. Its dome is illuminated with 
the guiding stars of a moral universe, and 
its fundamental principles are such as appeal 
to the higher natures of men. 



THE MOTHER AMERICAN LODGE 



Washington Lodge, No. I, was instituted 
in one of the crucial periods of the history of 
our country. Only a few years had passed 
since Baltimore, the place of her birth, had 
been the scene of many heroic deeds in the 
Revolutionary War. Perilous times were 
still prevalent, for the country had not recov- 
ered from the dire effects of the War of 
1812. Inasmuch as these two great strug- 
gles had been against England, the hatred of 
Englishmen was intense, and no place in the 
United States was more enthusiastic in 
young America's claims than was Baltimore. 
Englishmen were looked upon all over the 
country, and especially in the principal cities, 
as public and perfidious enemies of all 
things American. 

It was in the winter of 18 17, while this 

condition of affairs existed, and just three 

75 



76 Che Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

years after the burning of the Capitol and 
public edifices of our beloved country by 
English troops, that Thomas Wildey, the 
organizer of Washington Lodge, No. i, 
came to Baltimore. Of course, he was 
classed with the enemy and was looked upon 
with suspicion. He seems to have felt as a 
stranger in a strange land and to long for 
companions. He realized that he was mis- 
judged and did not permit the taunts of 
prejudiced men to baffle his purpose to be- 
come thoroughly American and to give the 
world an American organization. 

The facilities for social influence in club 
life and different kinds of organizations were 
not so many as we have to-day, and where 
these existed only the favored few could 
enter their portals. Some time within his 
second winter in this country, however, 
Wildey found an excellent friend in John 
Welch, who was also a native of England. 
After forming an acquaintance with him it 
did not take him long to find out by some of 
those mysterious movements, for which Odd 






the mother American Lodge 77 

Fellows are peculiar, that he had traveled 
over the road to Jericho. These men spent 
much time together, and, no doubt, discussed 
at length the possibilities for the maintenance 
of such an organization as the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows in this country. They 
both had a knowledge of Odd Fellowship as 
it existed in England, Wildey having been 
initiated into a lodge of Odd Fellows in Lon- 
don about 1804, when he was twenty-two 
years old, and both having passed all the 
chairs in the lodges from whence they came. 
Their lodge affiliations formed a close bond 
of union which knitted their hearts together, 
and their conversation about old times 
prompted an intense desire for similar asso- 
ciations to those they had enjoyed while in 
England. 

Their conversations seemed to rekindle 
their love for the Order, insomuch that they 
concluded to enter into this benevolent work 
again, that they might enjoy the privileges of 
its allied pleasures and advantages. They 
saw the opportunity which presented itself 



78 the tied Blood of Odd fellowship 

for usefulness, and having in mind the good 
old times they resolved to organize a lodge of 
Odd Fellows. 

Ancient usage having established the rule 
that at least five members were necessary to 
institute a lodge, they were put to sea in 
hunting for the proper number. Three more 
Odd Fellows were needed, and many differ- 
ent plans were followed to discover this num- 
ber of brothers in the City of Baltimore, but 
the efforts seemed futile. As a last resort 
they advertised in the Baltimore American 
on February 13, 1819, as follows: 

Notice to All Odd Fellows. — A few members of 
the Society of Odd Fellows will be glad to meet their 
brethren for consultation upon the subject of forming 
a lodge. The meeting will be held on Friday evening, 
the 2nd of March, 1819. 

While this advertisement did not state the 
place of meeting, it was responded to in some 
way by two Odd Fellows — John Duncan and 
John Cheatham. One of these brothers, how- 
ever, had trouble in proving himself profi- 
cient in the passwords and grips of the Or- 



the mother American Codge 79 

der, but after an examination he was consid- 
ered duly qualified. Still an obstacle pre- 
sented itself in that the addition of these two 
did not make the number required to organ- 
ize a lodge. The temptation was very strong 
to disregard the ancient usage and organize 
with four members, but they proved true to 
what they considered one of the fundamen- 
tal laws of the Order. Private search did 
not enable them to find the missing man, and 
again they had recourse to the public journal 
of the day and inserted the following adver- 
tisement in the Baltimore American on the 
27th day of March, 1819: 

Notice to All Odd Fellows.— A few members of 
the Society of Odd Fellows will be glad to meet their 
brethren for the purpose of forming a lodge on Fri- 
day evening, 2nd of April, at the Seven Stars, Second 
street, at the hour of 7 P. M. 

It will be observed that the Seven Stars 
Tavern, on Second street, (now Water) 
is designated in this notice as the place 
of meeting. In answer to this call came 
Richard Rushworth, who had been initi- 



8o the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

ated into Odd Fellowship in England. 
His appearance was gratifying to the four 
seekers, as he completed what they con- 
sidered the magic number. All these men, 
save John Duncan, gave assurances that 
they had been connected with the United 
Order of Odd Fellows in England. Duncan 
claimed that he had received the initiatory 
degree seventeen years before in a lodge in 
Baltimore; but, strange, as it may seem, he 
had forgotten the name, location, and mem- 
bership of the lodge that had received him as 
a member. However, he proved himself in 
the password, the sign, and the grip, and 
they all considered themselves qualified to 
launch the American organization. 

Its Birthplace and Institution 

Their eagerness prompted them to com- 
plete arrangements speedily, insomuch that 
on the 26th day of April of the same year, at 
the Seven Stars Tavern, in Baltimore, they 
instituted the first lodge of Odd Fellows on 



the mother American Lodge Si 

the Western continent and called it Wash- 
ington Lodge, No. i. 

The tavern was located on the south side 
of Water street, between Frederick street 
and Market Space. It was designated by 
a square, swinging sign, which hung in 
front of the main entrance and which 
was decorated with seven stars. Wil- 
liam Lupton was the host of the Seven Stars 
and had the reputation of keeping a first- 
class hostelry. The house had two stories 
and an attic and the location was considered 
very respectable at that period of Baltimore's 
history. Like other restaurants of its kind, 
it had a bar and served the famous Baltimore 
oysters in all known styles. Washington 
Lodge met in one of the upper rooms of this 
hostelry, which was furnished with rush- 
bottom chairs and benches. The room was 
lighted with candles, which were hung 
around the walls, and decorated by a limited 
variety of pictures, among which are said to 
have been those of Washington, Lafayette, 
and other great men of the Revolution. The 



62 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

host furnished the lodge with a rude table, 
and then the room was considered complete. 
The thing which the members considered 
the greatest hindrance was the lack of pri- 
vacy, which could not be secured even by 
locking the doors, and for which reason all 
the secret work had to be given out in a 
whisper. 

The Seven Stars still stands, in a gloomy, 
dingy, dirty part of the Monumental City. 
There it stands — the birthplace of the great- 
est fraternal organization this country knows 
to-day — the silent sentinel that needs not to 
speak and tell the story of what its child has 
done in the century just past, for that story is 
indelibly inscribed on the hearts of more than 
a million of our inhabitants and known and 
read of all men. It is one of the most thrill- 
ing experiences to a good, true Odd Fellow 
to stand and gaze upon this sacred cradle of 
our great Order and think of the wonderful 
developments that have taken place in the 
life of the babe that was nourished therein — 
a babe that has grown into the most prolific 



Che mother American Lodge 83 

of mothers and has given to the world its 
greatest fraternal family. 

In this way our Order began its mission to 
disseminate its principles and fraternize the 
world. Thomas Wildey, serving as noble 
grand, was the chief executive, and John 
Welch was selected as vice grand of the 
lodge. The remaining offices were distrib- 
uted among the other three members. 

Whatever attempts had been made to es- 
tablish the Order in this country prior to this 
date had failed. The efforts that had been 
made resulted in only a sporadic growth, 
which became absorbed in the vigorous fam- 
ily brought into existence by the enterprise 
of Wildey and his associates. 

This little family was but an insignificant 
speck in a city of sixty thousand inhabitants 
on the great American continent. Its mem- 
bers could not boast of princely heritages nor 
of blue blood; they were uncultured me- 
chanics, with no social standing, meeting in 
a community where their nativity made them 
exceedingly unpopular. These men realized 



84 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

that circumstances were unfavorable to them, 
and no doubt chose the name "Washington*' 
for their lodge that they might mollify, to 
some extent, the strong feeling against them. 
But while these men who launched their 
frail bark upon a great unknown sea were of 
humble origin, they had the stuff in them 
that is always requisite for a successful voy- 
age. Their exuberant spirits and energetic 
natures augured well for the success of any 
enterprise. Whatever may be said to the 
contrary, the sequel shows that their purpose 
was to give to the world a great humanita- 
rian institution, and to make it American. 

Difficulties Encountered 

To write a complete history of Washing- 
ton Lodge, which would rightly represent its 
magnificent work, would require the writing 
of a great book in which would be recorded 
all the facts connected with the great Order 
which she has given to the world ; for she is 
truly the Mother of the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows. 



the mother American Codgc 85 

Instituted April 26, 1819, the days and 
years of her life have been many and fruitful. 
Her institution gave an impetus to progress 
in the fraternal world, as the crossing of the 
Atlantic by the first steamship, the Savan- 
nah, in the same year gave an impetus to 
progress in the commercial world. The 
growth of the great fraternal organization 
which the institution of Washington Lodge 
originated in this country has been more 
phenomenal than any of its kind. From 
humble origin the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows has become the largest and the most 
powerful beneficial fraternity in the world. 

It would not be possible to give a full his- 
tory of this lodge should one be so inclined, 
because the records of the first years of her 
history are not in existence, having been de- 
stroyed shortly after the lodge was insti- 
tuted. Flowing through the heart of Balti- 
more is a vicious stream, which, in those 
days, frequently wrought havoc by its rav- 
ages. Its frequent floods caused the name 
of Jones' Falls to become synonymous with 



86 tl>e Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

sin to early Baltimoreans, and Washington 
Lodge at one time became the subject of its 
direful work of destruction. Eight years 
after its organization its secretary lived on 
the banks of this dreadful stream, and one 
of its destructive floods literally swept him 
out of his home, carrying with his household 
articles the first eight years' records of the 
lodge. The members of the lodge paid little 
attention to the loss sustained. They did 
not realize how valuable these records might 
become and little thought how much they 
would mean to us if we had access to them. 
They covered that period of the life of the 
lodge about which we are most anxious to 
know. As the result of this great loss our 
knowledge of the proceedings for the first 
few years of the history of the lodge is neces- 
sarily traditional and vague. But we may 
congratulate ourselves that matters of vital 
interest are pretty well authenticated. The 
things which seem to be the most vital and 
interesting in the history of the Mother 
Lodge are the things we shall write. 



tfte mother American Lodge 87 

Having for its leader Thomas Wildey, 
whose associates as well as himself were 
thoroughly in earnest, without thought of 
fail, it was but natural that the lodge should 
increase its membership in spite of the oppo- 
sition against it. Within less than a month 
after its institution ten additional names 
were enrolled as members. And as fifteen 
members in a lodge-room furnish a very 
good force for work, no doubt our fathers in 
Odd Fellowship congratulated themselves on 
the result of their efforts, and the bow of 
promise seemed to inspire great hope as to 
the future. 

About the time that the sky was brightest 
for the little family trouble arose. In its 
characteristic hospitable way, through its 
noble grand, it had welcomed a guest from 
England, who was given a seat of honor 
among the members. This guest was Henry 
M. Jackson, who had come to America under 
the impression that no lodge of Odd Fellows 
was in existence here. Within the previous 
three or four years the Manchester Unity 



88 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

had made a number of changes in the work 
of the Order in trying to evolve order out of 
chaos by preparing a suitable ritual and a 
practical code of laws for its regulation. 
Jackson became inspired by the new move- 
ment, provided himself with copies of the 
ritual, charges, and laws, and set out to be- 
come the pioneer of Odd Fellowship in the 
new world. After reaching Baltimore he 
was much disappointed by learning that 
some one else had become the champion of 
his projected enterprise. But he was of the 
kind whose ardor will not dampen without 
an ice bath, so he at once found the Seven 
Stars Tavern and got acquainted with 
Wildey, who was noble grand of the lodge, 
and through him gained admittance as a vis- 
itor, evidently expecting to further his in- 
tended purpose of being known as the 
founder of Odd Fellowship in this country. 

On that famous meeting night the lodge 
was opened in the usual form. Wildey and 
his brethren, not having learned of the 
changes and additions made recently by the 



Ok mother American Lodge 89 

Manchester Unity, performed the work in the 
usual way. 

The invited guest saw his opportunity and 
took advantage of it, producing consterna- 
tion among the members by loudly asserting 
that nobody in the lodge was correct. In 
fact, his scheme was so successful that all the 
members of the lodge except the noble 
grand and vice grand were ordered from 
the room, and the guest of importance began 
to dispense his most valuable matter and 
thereby tried to secure recognition as the au- 
thority in all lodge matters. While the ex- 
cited lodge members remained outside the 
revised documents were produced and the 
two officers were instructed in the change- 
able password, which had been adopted and 
was operated in conjunction with the old per- 
manent one, which was in use by all divisions 
of the Order. It is supposed that he then 
informed them of the changes made in the 
weekly benefit system, the code of general 
laws, the funeral fund system, the three orig- 
inal degrees, and the old charges, including 



9° tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

the past grand's charge. After this informa- 
tion had been given to the officers the other 
members eagerly flocked into the room and 
were duly instructed in the mode of work as 
practiced by the Manchester Unity. 

If this change had come about in the ordi- 
nary way and the instruction had been given 
in the proper spirit one would suppose that 
an impetus to better work would have been 
given to the lodge. But the procedure 
seemed to curb the enthusiasm of the mem- 
bers and there was not the increase that 
would have otherwise accompanied such a 
change. It is presumed that this meeting 
was held about the middle of May. Until 
that time from the 26th day of April ten 
new members had been added, and from that 
time until the latter part of September only 
four new ones were taken in, Jackson mak- 
ing one of the number. Of the fourteen, 
twelve seem to have been received by initia- 
tion and two by card, the latter two having 
come from Manchester Unity lodges, which 
were the only lodges that issued cards at this 



tbc mother American Codge 91 

early date. Among this number was a 
sturdy Scotchman named John Boyd, who 
proved to be a sterling Odd Fellow and after- 
ward became one of Wildey's most able sup- 
porters, being the only one of the nineteen 
Seven Stars members who remained with 
him after a decade. 

Change of Location and More Trouble 

The lodge remained in its birthplace the 
first five months of its existence, then re- 
moved in September, 18 19, to the house of 
Thomas Woodward, on Frederick street, 
near the docks. The only reason that seems 
to have ever been given for the change of 
location was that the landlord "tried to over- 
reach them," and this seems not to have been 
explained. 

The house of Woodward was also a tavern 
and was called the Three Loggerheads, 
which was indicated by the sign over the 
door. Located near the docks, it had be- 
come a rendezvous for sailors and wharf 
loungers, and was mostly patronized by sail- 



92 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

ors, who made it their lodging headquarters. 
A more dismal and gloomy place could 
hardly have been selected for the second 
home of Washington Lodge; but, strange to 
say, it has a prominent place in its history. 
Some of the most vital things in the life of 
the Order were transacted while the lodge 
was residing at this place. The lodge was 
meeting here when it received its first charter 
from the Order in the mother country, and 
was thereby made the authority in Odd Fel- 
lowship in the new world and given the priv- 
ilege to establish lodges throughout the land. 
One of the most interesting chapters in the 
history of the lodge is that which recounts 
its struggle in gaining and establishing its 
supremacy. 

A change in the location of a family is 
most frequently followed by ruptures of 
some kind among its different elements, espe- 
cially if there has formerly been a discord in 
the relations. This is more likely to be true 
if it be an organization which has to change 
its location. In fact, when an organization 



tbe mother American Lodge 93 

desires to establish itself in a community 
permanently a change of residence is most 
detrimental to its purpose, and if there is 
friction in any of its relations it is almost 
sure to become more intense by a change — it 
is a stirring-up of bad elements. 

Before leaving the Seven Stars there was 
a prevalent spirit of discord among the mem- 
bers of this lodge, which was greatly aggra- 
vated by the change. Henry M. Jackson had 
remained and impressed all of the brothers 
that he had an ax to grind, and was succeed- 
ing in securing the service of some of them 
to turn the grindstone for him. His supreme 
purpose was to supersede Wildey as the 
prime mover and have himself recognized as 
the founder. But he found a tenacious oppo- 
nent in the burly Englishman who was the 
real author of the lodge's existence, and who 
asserted his authority when the reformer of 
its operation desired to supersede him. Jack- 
son's ambition, aroused by the honor he saw 
coming to the founder of such an Order, 
prompted him to use underhanded methods 



94 Cbe Red Biooa of Odd fellowship 

to lessen the esteem of the brotherhood for 
Wildey, and he kept himself busy in tattling 
and stirring up discontent among the mem- 
bers. He was a vigorous man, and all his 
energies were put forth in an effort to re- 
move Wildey from the chief office in the 
lodge. He tried to clothe himself with pres- 
tige by proclaiming that he had brought to 
the lodge all its secret work, according to 
ancient usage ; and, after assuming for him- 
self the position of oracle of the lodge, he 
gave ancient usage a black eye wherever it 
was necessary in order to adapt it to his self- 
ish ends, misinterpreting it and destroying it 
in a variety of ways. He vigorously con- 
tended that, according to ancient usage, the 
noble grand of a lodge could not succeed 
himself in office, and upon this ground as- 
serted that Wildey could not be a candidate 
for noble grand in the October election. 

But there were strong-minded and clear- 
headed men among the members who were 
Wildey's friends and who readily produced 
evidence that it was not an unusual thing for 



the mother American Eoflge 95 

a noble grand to continue in office for a 
number of years. The contest was equal to 
an exciting political campaign; excited and 
zealous friends were rallying to the support 
of both Wildey and Jackson. John Crowder, 
a brother who had lately come from Eng- 
land, was appealed to by the contending par- 
ties to settle the dispute ; and, realizing that 
the welfare of the lodge and the future of the 
Order were trembling in the balance, he 
tacitly accepted the responsibility. Both of 
the brothers had performed invaluable serv- 
ices for the lodge, and it was the earnest de- 
sire to compromise the whole matter, but 
after a struggle for such a result it was 
found to be out of the question. 

The rejection of Jackson and the confirma- 
tion of Wildey as the founder and real leader 
was inevitable. Of course, no one to-day 
doubts the wisdom of the decision that this 
honest umpire gave when he determined that 
the future of the great enterprise could be 
better vouchsafed to the real author rather 
than to the reformer. But Jackson would 



96 tbe Re4 Blood of 044 fellowship 

not be squelched in any such manner. Exer- 
cising his tact as a politician, he led the op- 
posing forces in the support of John Welch, 
who was every inch a gentleman and who 
had been serving the lodge as vice grand. 
However, the majority of the lodge, com- 
posed of the friends of Wildey, strongly be- 
lieving they saw the snake in the grass, and 
for that reason deeming a change unwise, re- 
elected the founder. 

The belief of the majority was not un- 
founded, for the disturber of the peace was 
not quieted by defeat. He and his most zeal- 
ous followers immediately withdrew from 
Washington Lodge and formed Franklin 
Lodge, with a determined purpose to carry 
his plans into effect by instituting the Order 
in an altogether different form. They began 
their new movement with a determination to 
supersede Washington Lodge by securing a 
dispensation from Manchester Unity, and 
thus be recognized as the legal lodge. 



Cbe mother American Lodge 97 

Difficulties in Securing Charier 

Fortunately, Washington Lodge had al- 
ready taken steps to secure a dispensation 
from a competent English authority of the 
Order of Odd Fellows, to be admitted into 
the regular fellowship of the Order, before 
the opposing parties had sent in their peti- 
tion. No sooner had John Crowder per- 
formed his splendid work as umpire for the 
lodge in the dispute that arose than every 
member had supreme confidence in him and 
was ready to listen to his valuable sugges- 
tions. The interest he manifested in their 
little family and the sympathy he gave them 
in their trouble greatly inspired the despond- 
ent members, and new plans were speedily 
agreed upon for future success. It was his 
suggestion that a formal petition be prepared 
and presented to the Order in England that 
Washington Lodge might be recognized as 
authority in this country. The whole lodge 
felt the necessity of fraternal union with the 
rapidly-growing branch of the Order in Eng- 
land, and members were glad to carry out 



93 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

the suggestion, adding an item in the petition 
that after being established as a regular lodge 
of the Order it should be clothed with the 
power and authority to extend the benefits of 
the fraternity throughout the whole land. So 
it came to pass that as John Crowder was 
about to return to his native country he was 
made special agent of Washington Lodge 
and was sent on a great mission of humanity. 
He carried a properly-prepared and signed 
petition to the Duke of York Lodge in Pres- 
ton, England, his home lodge; and, in com- 
pliance with prevalent custom upon the 
presentation of the application, that lodge 
granted the desired dispensation. This was 
done within sixty days after Crowder left 
America; but month after month passed by 
without the lodge having any news concern- 
ing its messenger or petition. After waiting 
about nine months the members became un- 
easy and finally concluded to take advantage 
of another opportunity which presented itself 
to carry out its purpose. John Yates, a 
member of the lodge, was making prepara- 



Ok mother American Eodac 99 

tions to set out for England in the early part 
of October, 1820, and the lodge made him its 
representative in trying to secure the dispen- 
sation. So the members of the lodge pre- 
pared a second application, which was di- 
rected to the Manchester Unity and entrusted 
to his care. Yates was faithful to his breth- 
ren and forwarded the petition to the Man- 
chester Unity as soon as he reached Liverpool. 
In due time the petition was considered by a 
special committee of that body, which passed 
the following resolution : 

Resolved, That the Washington Lodge, Baltimore, 
North America, be allowed a dispensation from the 
Abercrombie Grand Lodge, but the profits thereof to 
go to the Grand Committee. They are likewise al- 
lowed lecture books, by-laws and articles, and that 
John Yates be written to, in answer to the American 
letters, desiring his attendance at Manchester, from 
Liverpool, or if he cannot attend, to desire that he 
will send an answer by return to know if an officer 
must go and meet him at Liverpool with them, and 
that if an officer be deputed, he be cautioned to be as 
reasonable in his charges as possible, and not at any 
rate exceed one pound for expenses. 



ioo tbt Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

This resolution was passed by the special 
committee of Manchester Unity on the 7th 
day of January, 1821. But on the 23rd day 
of October of the previous year, almost im- 
mediately after John Yates started on his 
voyage, the charter which had been secured 
by Crowder reached Washington Lodge and 
was accepted by it. This crossing of peti- 
tions and confusion of dates resulted from 
the negligence of the Duke of York Lodge 
in not notifying at the proper time the Man- 
chester Unity, to which it was subordinate, of 
its having granted a charter to Washington 
Lodge. Fortunately, it was only a confu- 
sion of petitions and dates, as the proposed 
meeting of Yates and an officer of the com- 
mittee never took place, the former never 
having received the notice ; and when Yates 
returned to Baltimore he found the lodge 
working under the charter issued by the 
Duke of York Lodge. The long suspense 
was at an end, the lodge was no longer irreg- 
ular, but was considered a legal lodge. The 
fraternal union with the Mother Order was 



Che mother American Hodge 101 

perfectly formed, and the Mother Lodge of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was 
recognized as the authority in America. 

It is most likely that the following impor- 
tant document was prepared by John Crow- 
der, who had gained sufficient knowledge of 
our country while here to enable him to prop- 
erly frame the document. And as we exam- 
ine the following copy of the original char- 
ter granted to the first American lodge let us 
think of the faithful messenger and give him 
a warm place in our hearts : 

The Original Charier from Duke of York Lodge 

No. Washington Lodge, i. 
Pluribus Unum. 
The Grand Lodge of Maryland and of the United 
States of America of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellowship. 

To all whom it may concern: 

This Warrant or Dispensation is a free gift from 
the Duke of York's Lodge of the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellowship, holden at Preston, in the County 
of Lancaster, in old England, to a number of brothers 
residing in the City of Baltimore, to establish a lodge 



102 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

at the house of Brother Thomas Woodward, in South 
Frederick street, in said city, hailed by the title of 
"No. i Washington Lodge, the Grand Lodge of 
Maryland and of the United States of America"; that 
said lodge being the first established in the United 
States, hath the power to grant a Warrant or Dis- 
pensation to a number of brothers of the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellowship in any State of the 
Union, for the encouragement and support of broth- 
ers of the said Order when on travel or otherwise ; 
and, be it further observed, that the said lodge be 
not removed from the house of Brother Thomas 
Woodward so long as five brothers are agreeable to 
hold the same. In testimony hereof, we have sub- 
joined our names and affixed the seal of our lodge, 
this the first day of February, one thousand eight 
hundred and twenty. 

James Mandsley, G. M. 
John Cottam, N. G. 
Geo. Nailor, V. G. 
John Eccles, Sec. 
[Seal.] John Walmslies, P. G. 

John Crowder, P. G. 
W. Topping, P. G. 
Sam'l Pemberton, P. G. 
Geo. Ward, P. G. 
Geo. Bell, P. G. 



Ok mother American Lodge 103 

Reverses for Jackson 

As previously stated, Jackson and his fol- 
lowers as soon as they had got Franklin 
Lodge into working order prepared an appli- 
cation for a dispensation for Franklin Lodge 
and forwarded it by a special agent to the 
Grand Committee of the Manchester Unity. 
Jackson was piqued, and, with a determination, 
set about carrying into execution his ambitious 
project to overthrow the structure erected by 
Wildey and erect one of his own. But fate 
was against him, because Providence was on 
the side of Wildey. His special agent who 
carried the petition to England reached the 
Grand Committee nineteen months late. 

The Grand Committee had found out in 
some way that Washington Lodge had been 
granted a dispensation and had already been 
instituted in the same territory. When the 
application, therefore, was considered and 
the question came up of extending the Order 
into foreign territory under the auspices of 
the Manchester Unity, a dispensation was re- 
fused the applicants on the ground that 



104 tfte Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

Washington Lodge was the authority 
within the territory from which the applica- 
tion came, and the said applicants were in- 
structed in the following language : 

"The said Franklin Lodge is desired to 
apply to the Washington Lodge for dispen- 
sation/' The communication containing this 
instruction was received by Franklin Lodge 
early in August, 1821, and served as the 
deadening shot to all the arrogant ambitions 
of the foes of the Mother Lodge. Jackson, 
the leader of the revolting forces, had left the 
city and the fighting clothes of his followers 
had been put aside for uniforms of peace; so 
they were no longer disposed to set them- 
selves up as lords of creation, but were will- 
ing to submit to the irony of fate and bow in 
submission to the rightful authority. They 
adopted the suggestion which they crossed 
the ocean to get; and, after traveling the 
longest way around, applied and secured a 
charter nearest home from Washington 
Lodge, No. 1. From that day to this there 
has been no question concerning the source 



the mother American Eodge 105 

of authority in our Order, and while the first 
lodge willingly delegated its prerogatives to 
the most capable of its own members, as will 
be later set forth, it has always occupied a 
position of its own. 

Develops Into a. Grand Lodge 

After the failure of the followers of Jack- 
son to carry out their ambitious desires, 
Washington Lodge continued for a time to 
be the sole authority and became active in 
devising plans for developing the Order, 
One of its first movements was to organize 
its past grands into a kind of legislative 
committee, that they might serve as special 
counsellors of the lodge. The committee 
seems to have been appointed in July, 1820, 
just a few months before the charter reached 
the lodge, and it was through it that the 
lodge operated as director of its affairs. Two 
of its members were Thomas Wildey and 
John Welch, who had attained the rank of 
past grands before leaving England, and as 
they had been the only members who had 



106 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

passed the chairs since the lodge was organ- 
ized, it is supposed that others of the breth- 
ren who joined the lodge by card were also 
past grands and were members of the com- 
mittee. The names of John Boyd and Wil- 
liam S. Couth have been given as members 
of this committee, but as the minutes of that 
part of the history of the lodge were lost, the 
origin, the personnel, and the duties of the 
committee cannot be clearly set forth. By 
working in this manner Washington Lodge 
was following the example of the English 
Order, which managed its general business 
affairs through committees of past grands, 
which committees were also subject to dis- 
trict committees. Each of these governing 
bodies was called together as business of im- 
portance demanded it. Their powers and 
jurisdiction appear not to have been defined, 
nor does it appear that in their meetings they 
were controlled by any established rules or 
laws, but were governed by such regulations 
as were reflected by the light of ancient 
usage. 



tl>e mother American Lodge 107 

While this committee was serving as an 
advisory board for the lodge many matters 
of grievance were submitted to it, and while 
its decision was never final its services were 
greatly beneficial in many ways. It will go 
down into history as having passed upon two 
very important matters, one of which was 
submitted to it in 1820 by John Pawson En- 
twisle, who was considered the ornament of 
the Mother Lodge. This brother boldly set 
himself to the task of writing two additional 
degrees to the Order as it then existed, and 
on their completion submitted them to the 
committee of past grands. They were called 
the Covenant and Remembrance degrees and 
were heartily endorsed by the committee on 
first reading and afterwards adopted by the 
lodge. In fact, the bold step of Entwisle 
was considered one of great importance to 
the Order in this country, as the adoption of 
these degrees brought about a change which 
in itself was a declaration of entire independ- 
ence in a matter that involved a great deal 
for the lodge. At this time there were three 



108 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

degrees used in the Order. The first was 
simply called the "Making," the second was 
named the " Royal Blue Degree," and the 
third was known as the "Scarlet Degree, or 
Priestly Order." The Covenant degree was 
inserted between the first and second, and the 
Remembrance between the second and third ; 
they were then numbered consecutively and 
formed the five degrees which were contin- 
ually being changed and bettered until 1881, 
when the four were adopted as now used in 
the subordinate lodge. 

The most vital thing connected with the 
work of the committee of past grands re- 
sulted from the natural developments which 
they observed in the lodge. They saw that 
the condition in the lodge was anomalous 
and that another forward step was absolutely 
demanded. The whole Order was made up 
of a mixed multitude. The learned and the 
unlearned were trying to work together, but 
as is usual where incongruous and repugnant 
elements try to devolve plans for progress, 
confusion became worse confounded, and it 



the mother American Codflc 109 

was evident to the past grands that the prob- 
lems would have to be solved by the most 
capable men of the Order. Their lodge had 
in it superior men, and it was considered as 
the source of authority by the other lodges 
which had been organized. The one thing 
to be accomplished was to delegate its au- 
thority to the most capable and best-qualified 
brothers in order to promote the interests of 
the fraternity. But to delegate this authority 
to a few would in time mean the loss of pres- 
tige and a complete separation of the two ele- 
ments of the Mother Lodge, and this, to 
many, seemed at first to be an unjust move- 
ment. It brought up a perplexing problem, 
and there were advocates on both sides of the 
question. Some of them claimed that they 
were first, last, and always for ancient usage, 
and wanted the power to remain with the 
first lodge, as that, they said, was where it 
justly belonged. Others deemed it wise to 
have the direction of the Order in the hands 
of the wisest and most experienced members, 
that these should have the supreme power 



no the Red Blood of Odd Tellowsbip 

and enact such legislation as was best for the 
government of all lodges of the Order, and 
that new lodges, as instituted, should have 
the privilege of selecting delegates to partici- 
pate in the same power and exercise the same 
prerogatives as those who were selected from 
Washington Lodge. A spirited contest was 
waged for two or three months, during 
which time the members were actively can- 
vassing; and the committee of past grands, 
who had already made up their minds, were 
drafting a plan for the transfer of the gov- 
erning power. 

This plan was completed February y, 1821, 
by the adoption of the following resolutions 
by the committee : 

Resolved, That it is expedient and necessary to 
separate the legislative from the operative portion of 
the Order, as well to insure system and uniformity as 
a greater efficiency in conducting the business of Odd 
Fellowship. 

Resolved, That Washington Lodge, No. 1, be in- 
vited to surrender to this body of past grands the 
sole possession of the charter received by said lodge 
from England. 



tbc mother American Lodge in 

The meeting of the lodge which followed 
was made a memorable one by the considera- 
tion of these resolutions. It was the stormi- 
est one the members had ever experienced, 
the excitement reached its height and the 
conflict was hot. The majority of the mem- 
bers finally voted for the resolutions, thereby 
surrendering the authority of the Mother 
Lodge to its elect members, and those who 
had so vigorously opposed the movement 
readily submitted to the will of the majority. 

Following the instruction, as given by the 
action of the lodge, its noble grand formally 
surrendered the charter the lodge had re- 
ceived from the Duke of York Lodge, Pres- 
ton, England, to the committee of past 
grands. This was done on the 22nd day of 
February, 1821, the anniversary of the birth 
of the immortal Washington, after whom 
the lodge was named, in the lodge-room in 
Woodward's house, on Frederick street, Bal- 
timore. By this act these noble brothers 
made possible that body which stands to our 



H2 the Red Blood of Odd Tellowsbip 

Order as Washington did to his country — its 
leader, director and guide. 

Heroism of Her Members 

When we review the history and recount 
the struggles of Washington Lodge we can 
but realize that its members on this occasion 
did a noble thing. This problem was one 
that tried the sincerity and strength of the 
principles of true Odd Fellowship in the 
hearts of the members. Washington Lodge 
was the sole authority and power of what 
was destined to become the greatest benevo- 
lent fraternal organization in the world, and 
every member of the lodge was then a mem- 
ber of the supreme head of the Order — a peer 
on the floor with any of the past grands. 
Surely the surrendering of such authority 
called forth a great struggle between an un- 
selfish love for the Order and desire for its 
betterment, and that selfish love of power and 
ambition which forms so large a part of the 
nature of men. And it is a matter of honor 
that the higher and better nature of these 



the mother American Lodge 113 

brothers prompted them to be true to the 
principles of our beloved Order; their un- 
selfishness controlled them and prompted 
them to make the necessary sacrifice. 

The test of all affection 

Is the full and free rejection 

Of all selfishness in love. 

The proudest hour, and the one which re- 
flects the brightest honor, in the important 
and brilliant record of Washington Lodge 
was this one, when, after passing through a 
fierce struggle in which the baser parts of 
men's natures were brought directly into 
conflict with the higher, her members rose to 
a sense of the importance and solemnity of 
the occasion and voluntarily laid down their 
rights to be considered the sole authority and 
power in the Order and retired to the ranks 
as humble subordinates, so that the Frater- 
nity might be benefited and that lodges yet 
unborn might be represented and have a 
voice in the government of the whole. It 
was the hour that secured the system of lodge 



n4 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

representation in our Order and marked the 
men who performed the act worthy subjects 
to wear that patriotic and world-honored 
name of the Father of his Country that 
adorns their banner and is inscribed on their 
charter. 

The success of our Order dates from this 
action of the Mother Lodge. From this time 
forward a more enlightened and enlarged 
view, as well as a more concerted action, has 
resulted. When we recall the straitened cir- 
cumstances into which the lodge fell at the 
close of the nineteenth century well might we 
ask the question, "Has this great sacrifice 
been appreciated by our Order?" Only a 
short time has passed since the Mother of our 
great Fraternity was clothed in rags, begging 
for bread and tottering on the verge of the 
grave. A sorrowful wail was being heard to 
the effect that she was about to yield to the 
hand of death and permit the vital cord to be 
cut that connected her with the life-giving 
body. What a shameful day was driven 
from her history when the hearts of the will- 



the mother American Lodge 115 

ing were touched to give the clothes, and the 
hands of the ready were found to administer 
the needful tonic and give her the youthful 
vitality that inspires confidence again in her 
perpetual existence. 

After having received the charter from 
Washington Lodge and thereby having dele- 
gated to it the authority as the supreme body 
in the Order, the committee of past grands 
proceeded to organize themselves into a 
Grand Lodge under the title of "The Grand 
Lodge of Maryland and of the United 
States." The first thing accomplished by the 
new grand body was the election of officers, 
which resulted as follows: Grand Master, 
Thomas Wildey, coach-spring maker; Dep- 
uty Grand Master, John P.Entwisle, printer; 
Grand Warden, William S. Couth, currier; 
Grand Secretary, John Welch, house and 
ship painter; Grand Guardian, John Boyd, 
mahogany sawyer; Grand Conductor, Wil- 
liam Larkam, cabinet maker. 

The organization of the Grand Lodge was 
the beginning of a new era in the history of 



n6 Che Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

the Order. From that time forward its prin- 
ciples were more sought after and mani- 
fested in its practices. Those past grands 
who first constituted the Grand Lodge of the 
United States had a lesson of self-abnegation 
burned into their bosoms by the generous act 
of their brethren, and it has been bearing 
fruit through all the years that have passed 
since then. These fruits have been distrib- 
uted by the Grand Representatives into every 
State and Territory of our Union, into the 
Canadian provinces and colonies, and into 
nineteen foreign countries. All honor to 
those noble men who made the great sacri- 
ficial offering on the altar of pure fellowship 
in Washington Lodge, when they adopted 
the resolution resigning their supremacy and 
making themselves subordinate. 

All the seven members of the Grand Lodge 
were officers save one, who could always be 
gratified when he wanted the floor, as he had 
a monopoly. Another singular thing was 
that there were only two subordinate bodies 
under control of this new organization. In 



tbe mother American Lodge 117 

fact, only one, as Franklin Lodge, up to this 
time, had not been recognized as legally in- 
stituted. But the body realized its signifi- 
cance; and, wasting no time on trifles, pro- 
ceeded to legislate for the interests of the 
Order. The first business of importance 
transacted was that which resulted from the 
adoption of the following resolution : 

Resolved, That a Dispensation be presented to 
Washington Lodge, No. i, of Maryland, as a subordi- 
nate lodge. 

This was quite a valuable present to Wash- 
ington Lodge, who had resigned her primary 
and supreme authority into other hands, 
especially so as she was charged thirty dol- 
lars for the present. But she gratefully ac- 
cepted it, paid the bill, and was satisfied to 
become the first of all those who would be 
subordinate to the supreme power she had 
created. She did not resign her position as 
the original lodge of the Order, nor would 
she forfeit the proud claim and title to rank 
above all in the world as the Mother Lodge 



n8 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

of American Odd Fellowship. Her claims 
were reasonable, because they were based 
upon the possession of the oldest warrant re- 
ceived from the Duke of York Lodge, Eng- 
land, from which she had received her au- 
thority, and had the pleasure of knowing 
that her former authority had been recog- 
nized by English Odd Fellowship. 

By the peculiar operations which had 
transpired, Washington Lodge had issued to 
her own mother a charter by which ever after 
her mother would be recognized as her child. 
Strange as it may seem, the Sovereign 
Grand Lodge is the grandmother, and the 
Grand Lodge of Maryland is the mother of 
Washington Lodge, and yet this lodge is the 
mother of both. Other lodges born of their 
authority are her sisters. So it turns out that 
Washington Lodge is mother to her grand- 
mother and also to her mother, and both 
mother and grandmother to herself, and 
grandmother to her own sisters. 

All the events connected with the institu- 
tion of the Grand Lodge took place while the 



the mother American Lodge 119 

lodge was meeting at Woodward's house. 
The resolution granting a charter to Wash- 
ington Lodge was passed by the Grand 
Lodge on the same day it received its au- 
thority, but it drafted no form of charter, 
and the lack of experience among the officers 
and members brought about a delay. The 
Grand Lodge appointed Thomas Wildey, J. 
P. Entwisle, and William S. Couth to draft 
a form of charter for Washington Lodge and 
other lodges that might become instituted 
afterward. These brothers reported a form 
on December 19, 1821, which was adopted 
and ordered printed. The charter for Wash- 
ington Lodge was written up, signed, sealed, 
and the colors appended on the 9th day of 
January, 1822, and delivered to the lodge a 
short time thereafter. As it was the first 
charter written in America I quote it in full : 

Charter of Washington Lodge, No* I, 0* I. 0* F. 

Order of Independent Odd Fellows. 
To whom it may concern: 

The Grand Lodge of Maryland, by authority of a 
grand charter granted from the Grand Lodge of the 



120 Cbc Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

United States, held in the City of Baltimore, State of 
Maryland, doth hereby grant 

This Warrant or Dispensation 

To a number of brothers of the Order of Independent 
Odd Fellows residing in the City of Baltimore, in the 
State of Maryland, to establish a lodge in any con- 
venient place, to be hailed by the title of the Wash- 
ington Lodge, No. i, for the encouragement and sup- 
port of brothers of the said Order when on travel or 
otherwise. And the said Washington Lodge being 
duly formed, is hereby authorized and empowered to 
initiate into the mysteries of the said Order any per- 
son or persons duly proposed and approved accord- 
ing to the law of Odd Fellows, and to administer to 
these brothers all the privileges and benefits arising 
therefrom, and to enact by-laws for the government 
of their lodge; provided always, that the Washing- 
ton Lodge, No. i, do act according to the Order and 
in conjunction with and obedience to the Grand 
Lodge, adhering to and supporting the articles, 
charges and degrees delivered with this Dispensation, 
and in default thereof this Warrant or Dispensation 
may be suspended or taken away, at the discretion of 
the Grand Lodge; and further, the Grand Lodge (in 
consideration of the due performance of the above) 
do bind themselves to repair all damage or destruc- 
tion of the Dispensation, Charges or Degrees, whether 
by fire or other accident; provided, sufficient proof 



the mother American Hodge 121 

be given and there is no illegal concealment or wilful 
destruction of the same. And the Grand Lodge will 
support the Washington Lodge, No. i, in the exercise 
of their duty and in the privileges and honors of the 
Order. In witness whereof, we have displayed the 
colors and subscribed our names and affixed the 
seal of the Grand Lodge of Maryland and of the 
United States, this the 22nd day of February, Anno 
Domini one thousand eight hundred and twenty-one. 

Thomas Wildey, G. M. 
J. P. Entwisle, D. G. M. 
[Seal.] William S. Couth, G. W. 

John Welch, G. S. 
John Boyd, G. G. 
Ezekiel Wilson, G. C. 

The records show that the last signature 
should not appear on this charter. It evi- 
dently happened on account of the charter 
being made out on the 9th day of January, 
1822, when it was granted on the 22nd of 
February, 1821. Only the signatures of those 
who were members of the Grand Lodge at 
the time the charter was granted should ap- 
pear on it. Ezekiel Wilson, who was a mem- 
ber of Franklin Lodge, was not admitted to 



122 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

the Grand Lodge until November 22, 1821, 
nine months after the charter was granted, 
and the name of William Larkam, who was 
Grand Conductor at the time the charter was 
granted, should appear in the place of Wil- 
son's. 

Order of Precedence Fixed 

It was about this time that Franklin Lodge, 
No. 2, received the communication already 
referred to from the Grand Committee of 
Manchester Unity, instructing that lodge to 
apply to Washington Lodge for a charter. 
The questions of precedence and authority 
having been settled, this lodge lost no time in 
petitioning the Grand Lodge for a charter, 
which was gladly granted by the governing 
body. There is a point of special interest, 
however, in the resolutions granting the 
charter, and for that reason they are here- 
with set forth in detail : 

Resolved, That the Grand Lodge receives with en- 
tire satisfaction the application of Franklin Lodge, 
No. 2, and agrees to grant the petition therein con- 
tained. 



the mother American Hodge 123 

Resolved, That the Grand Lodge, from and after 
the date hereof, hails and acknowledges Franklin 
Lodge, No. 2, as a legal lodge of Independent Odd 
Fellows, and that its dispensation shall be dated Sep- 
tember 5, 1821. 

It will be observed that these resolutions 
repudiate the legal existence of Franklin 
Lodge prior to their passage, and mark the 
date of such recognized existence. But inas- 
much as harsh feelings had died out and the 
members of the two lodges were working 
harmoniously together, this truth was rec- 
ognized, and no complaint was made. So 
the lodge was instituted under the preceding 
resolution on the 5th day of September fol- 
lowing, taking the second place as a subordi- 
nate. The kindest of fraternal feeling has 
ever since been manifested among the mem- 
bers of these lodges, and they have put forth 
their best efforts to excel each other in deeds 
of kindness, and in their fidelity to the su- 
preme head of the Order. 

Thus it was that the Grand Lodge of 
Maryland and of the United States, which 



124 Cl>e Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

developed from the Mother Lodge, began 
its mission, with the help of its two children, 
to disseminate the principles of the great 
Order of which it was the supreme ruling 
power. On the 22nd day of November, 
1 82 1, inspired by the political forms of the 
country, it boldly adopted the first constitu- 
tion of a Grand Lodge known to the Order 
of Odd Fellows, which took the place of 
what had formerly been known as ancient 
usage. In its early days it did not veil itself 
with uncertain traditions that would necessi- 
tate a groping in the dark, but it began its 
operations in a systematic way, and did not 
have to manufacture precedents to meet new 
causes. 

Shelter Given by Wildey 

In the midst of the proceedings just re- 
lated an unfortunate event transpired which 
necessitated the removal of the meeting 
place of the lodge. It had been meeting in 
Woodward's house from September, 1819, 
until January, 1822, but the closing of the 
house left the lodge without a home, and put 



Cl)e mother American Lodge 125 

it again in motion to find a shelter. It was 
an unfortunate event that brought about this 
trouble, being of such a character as to in- 
cense and disgust the members, and cause 
some of the less substantial and less thought- 
ful ones to renounce their affiliations. The 
sensible members of the lodge kept the mat- 
ter from gaining prominence, so the fact of 
its being little known hindered it from mak- 
ing any strong impression on the public. 
Necessarily, however, a certain amount of 
embarrassment resulted, as no suitable place 
could be readily secured as a meeting place. 
At this time Thomas Wildey was living in 
Stillhouse lane, and his kind heart prompted 
him to offer the lodge a room in his own 
house as the meeting place, both of Wash- 
ington Lodge and the Grand Lodge. These 
bodies could do nothing else than accept the 
gracious offer, and continued to meet there 
until better accommodations were secured. 

It was a very inconvenient place. The 
rooms of the house were very small, and it 
was almost impossible to make arrangements 



126 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

suitable to carry on the business of the lodge ; 
in fact, everything was in confusion. Dur- 
ing a period of four months the lodge con- 
tinued to meet in Wildey's house, in which 
time not a single initiation took place. The 
truth is, that it would scarcely have been 
possible to perform the initiatory ceremony 
in the room where they met, nor was it pos- 
sible to transact the business in a decorous 
manner. 

Wildey's great love for the Order was 
shown in the sacrifice he had to make that 
the lodge might be sheltered in his own 
house. The meetings always had the effect 
of turning the women of his home out of 
doors, and were to them a fruitful source of 
inconvenience and embarrassment. They 
did not like to stay around when the lodge 
was in session, and sought what they deemed 
better quarters in some neighbor's home. 

It was finally determined to seek new 
quarters, and permanent if possible. Ar- 
rangements were made with a woman who 
kept lodgers on Gay street to occupy her 



the mother American Lodge 127 

second floor, but no sooner had she called in 
the carpenters to put the room in order than 
the landlord began to make inquiries as to 
her purpose ; and, finding out that it was in- 
tended to prepare a meeting place for Wash- 
ington Lodge, he became excited and re- 
belled. He was saturated with the prevail- 
ing prejudice against the little band, and ex- 
pected that the meetings would be productive 
of riot and disorder, hence strenuously ob- 
jected to letting the room to them. He 
threatened to dispossess his tenant, and she 
became alarmed; so the contract with her 
was abandoned. 

After repeated failures the lodge was suc- 
cessful in finding more convenient apart- 
ments, and in May, 1822, left the home of 
Wildey, with thanks to his generosity. The 
new quarters were in Matthew Blakeley's 
public house, on the northeast corner of 
Marsh Market Space and Lombard street. 
It was a decided improvement over the last 
meeting place, being on the second floor of a 
large house, and having all the conveniences 



128 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

necessary to transact the business in an or- 
derly manner. 

Character of the Early Meetings 

When we say that Washington Lodge was 
of humble origin we mean that the men who 
formed the nucleus of the organization in 
the beginning were considered to be of the 
lower walks of life, and without social stand- 
ing. Among them we find the blacksmith, 
the house and ship painter, the printer, the 
currier, and the cabinet-maker. They were 
what we would call uncultured mechanics, 
entering upon a work that constituted a nat- 
ural development in society. 

It would be expecting too much to sup- 
pose that this development, though natural, 
would be shorn of its imperfections, or that 
the elements composing the working force 
would be rid of the defects that had become 
grafted upon men as the result of the cus- 
toms of the times. It is a well-established 
fact that animalism played a more important 
part in the lives of men in those days than 



the mother American Lodge 129 

now ; and, as it permeated all elements of so- 
ciety, no such cognizance was taken of it as 
would be taken in this more enlightened and 
advanced age. There was a tendency in 
most men at all social gatherings to be con- 
vivial in their habits. They had inherited 
the custom of beer-drinking from their an- 
cestors as one of the most healthful and de- 
lightful habits of the father-land. The Teu- 
tonic element brought it from Germany cen- 
turies ago and impressed it upon the Eng- 
lish people in such a way that it became rec- 
ognized as a popular accompaniment of so- 
cial functions among all classes of society. 
These men brought their household gods 
from the mother country along with their 
Odd Fellowship, and for awhile they figured 
as indispensable features. 

Knowing the customs of the times and the 
circumstances connected with the early his- 
tory of Washington Lodge, one is not sur- 
prised that beer-drinking was a common 
thing among the members, and was consid- 
ered a kind of necessary part of the proceed- 



13° tfte Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

ings of the lodge. It was but natural that 
the meetings should be convivial in their 
nature, and that eating and drinking should 
become "the most of their diet." At the 
lodge meetings, in one end of the lodge-room 
could always be found a table containing a 
variety of foods and drinks, and every quali- 
fied member was entitled to one free drink, 
after which he must pay for all the rest. The 
idea of treating to drinks was a very popular 
one, and was much carried out in practice. 
To be a jolly good fellow, to sing a song 
well, or to tell a story, were abilities much 
cultivated and valued in those days. They 
would meet around a festal board and sing 
together : 

Then let us be social, be generous, be kind, 
And let each take his glass and be mellow ; 

Then we'll join heart and hand, leave dissension be- 
hind, 
And we'll each prove a hearty Odd Fellow. 

Then some worthy brother would start 
up the following song, and all would join in : 



the mother American Lodge 131 

Oh, what a pleasure for to meet 

With friends so blithe and jolly, 
Who all delight for to dispel 

The gloom of melancholy ! 
Then let us throw all care aside — 

Let's merry be and mellow ; 
May Friendship, Love and Truth abide 

With ev'ry true Odd Fellow. 

True friendship is a treasure great — 

As such we may regard it; 
May discord ne'er our lodge intrude, 

Nor anything retard it. 
But let the song and toast go round, 

And ev'ry heart be mellow; 
And may our motto still be found 

In ev'ry true Odd Fellow. 

These practices have been brought down 
from generation to generation in magnified 
forms in the English Order of Odd Fellows 
to the present day, and are holding their 
places in this country in many fraternal so- 
cieties. And I do not hesitate to say that 
while the drinking of beer has given place to 
more popular beverages, what was once a 
comparatively innocent indulgence has be- 



w the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

come an enormous evil in many such organi- 
zations. 

A Change in Practices 

The convivial feasts, however, did not 
continue very long in the Mother Lodge be- 
fore the better element began to assert itself 
and to use its influence towards bringing the 
habits of the members of the lodge more into 
accord with the demands of the progressive 
community. New blood was gradually in- 
troduced into the ranks; men of strength 
and character, who were opposed to the con- 
vivial feature, were gradually drawn into an 
examination of the claims of the Order, and 
were so impressed as to enter the lodge and 
use their ability, influence, and counsel for 
the betterment of its conditions. They were 
observant of the developments of the grow- 
ing community, and strove to keep pace with 
the progress manifested, and the moral and 
aesthetic demands caused them to hold them- 
selves in readiness to displace distasteful ex- 
hibitions of animalism for things more pleas- 
ing and substantial. 



tftt mother American Lodge 133 

This movement toward reform was pre- 
cipitated by a staunch young Odd Fellow by 
the name of Augustus Mathiot. Shortly 
after becoming affiliated with Washington 
Lodge he made application for membership 
in another organization, where he was re- 
jected on the ground that he was a member 
of "that Bacchanalian Club of Odd Fellows." 
He was then notified by the officers of the 
other organization that if he would resign 
his membership as an Odd Fellow he would 
be gladly received into their ranks. Mathiot 
was a man who was both capable and true, 
and his excellent perception revealed the sit- 
uation to him in such a manner that he saw 
their motives were for the purpose of throt- 
tling a great movement, so he sent them an 
answer in which he indignantly spurned 
their offer. The experience was invaluable, 
both to the young Odd Fellow and his lodge. 
He was put through an ordeal and deeply 
wounded as the result of his being firm in 
what he believed was right ; he was imbued 
with the principles of the Order, and yet he 



i34 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

could not but see that those whom he had 
made his associates had given cause to of- 
fend, and he could neither approve nor de- 
fend their actions. Simply the telling of his 
story to the lodge was proof that he had suf- 
fered for its members and aroused their sym- 
pathy, and his choice of their organization 
with this grievous fault they considered a 
most noble act. He was prompted to strike 
while the iron was hot. Hesitation, he knew, 
meant loss of power and prestige. In a pow- 
erful manner he protested against a prac- 
tice that brought them into disrepute, and 
even exposed them to insult. He did not 
want his reputation to suffer, and ex- 
horted them earnestly to have a stricter re- 
gard for public opinion. Nothing could pre- 
vent him from pushing the matter for all it 
was worth, and his efforts resulted in propos- 
ing the following : 

Resolved, That this lodge will hereafter abolish the 
use of liquor of any kind in the lodge-room. 

The introduction of such a resolution for 



tfte mother American Lodge 135 

action by the very men who were guilty re- 
quired more courage than most mortals are 
blessed with, but the work of preparation 
for the reception of such a proposition had 
been so thorough that they did not hesitate 
to consider it at once, and the vote was al- 
most unanimous for its adoption. This ac- 
tion of the lodge marked a transition from 
the lower to the higher standard in the life 
of the Order; it was a complete evolution 
in the moral character of the Order, and was 
always after the date of the passage of the 
resolution known as the "Maryland Re- 
form." That which before had seemed a 
necessity to some of the older members of 
the lodge and had become h part of the regu- 
lar usage had been openly condemned by the 
very ones who had participated in and up- 
held it. From that time on the practices of 
the members of the Mother Lodge were 
made to comply more nearly with the princi- 
ples taught, and the result of this action has 
been sufficiently far-reaching to forbid, in 
this period of the Order's history, the serv- 



136 tH Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

ing of intoxicating drinks at banquets of 
Odd Fellows. One of the most important 
clauses in the supreme constitution of the 
Order has resulted from this action on the 
part of the first lodge, and it puts the Order 
in the highest rank along that line among 
fraternal organizations. 

Financial Difficulties 

There remains to-day in the possession of 
Washington Lodge a heavily-constructed 
wooden chest, securely bound with iron, hav- 
ing a capacity of about fourteen cubic feet. 
This box has a very heavy lid, which is fas- 
tened by substantial hinges on the one side, 
and to which are attached three strong locks 
of different construction on the other. These 
locks divide the space on their side into 
about three equal divisions. The chest got 
its name from its appearance. Some one, 
upon examining it, called it the strong box, 
and it has ever since been so designated. 

It is an heirloom which is highly prized 
by the members of Washington Lodge, for 



Che mother American Hodge i 37 

it stands for much in connection with the 
great landmarks of the Order. One of the 
most distressing things connected with the 
first lodge in its earliest history was the lack 
of funds. In those days of lavish hospitality 
it was considered one of the most important 
features of Odd Fellowship, as it is to-day, 
to assist the traveling and distressed breth- 
ren, and to feed them while they were on 
their way. 

Welcome the coming, and 
Speed the parting guest, 

was a motto that served as a frontlet to their 
eyes, and they deemed it a binding fraternal 
duty. They might have complied with this 
obligation, however, had they not fallen into 
the practice of spending the penny receipts 
for refreshments of various kinds on varie- 
ties of occasions. With this kind of a habit 
leading them on, it was not possible for 
them to accumulate any permanent fund. 
They only charged one dollar for initiation, 
and twenty-five cents for deposit of card, so 



i33 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

they were driven to the necessity of taking 
up collections, and then did not meet the ex- 
penditures as they should have liked. So it 
was that appeals for help increased as the 
membership grew; and the warden's ax, 
which was used as the contribution box in 
those days, was constantly passed from mem- 
ber to member during the sessions of the 
lodge. Of course, this procedure did not 
meet the approbation of most of the prudent, 
and many of the poorer members of the 
lodge, and they insisted upon a change of 
operation. 

It was at this juncture that the strong box 
was agreed upon and brought into the lodge. 
The noble grand, vice grand, and sitting past 
grand were each furnished with one of the 
keys, and they were held jointly and sever- 
ally responsible for the contents of the box. 
The lodge funds and the more valuable of 
the books and papers were to be deposited 
here for safe keeping, and all these brothers 
were required to be present at each opening 
of the strong box. 



the mother American Lodge 139 

The spending of the funds for refresh- 
ments for convivial and social purposes was 
abolished, and it was decided to deposit the 
collections in the strong box to serve as a 
permanent fund for times of need. The 
warden ceased making his calls with his ax 
for contributions, except on occasions when 
tramps called and were greatly in need of 
help, or when something out of the ordinary 
required it. His only regular duty now was 
to collect the dues from the members. It 
was almost unanimously agreed that every 
member and visitor should pay his own bills 
for refreshments. In this way the lodge was 
greatly relieved, and the best results fol- 
lowed. 

Within a very short time, according to 
the new plan, the lodge had accumulated a 
fund that was considered a large sum to be 
found in a treasury in those days. Week 
after week the fund grew and grew, until 
the enormous sum of eighty dollars was ac- 
cumulated. The responsibility for the safety 
of so large an amount was to these brothers 



140 €be K*4 Blooa of Odd fellowship 

a matter of grave consideration. They had 
no safety vault, nor burglar-proof safe, but 
their money was safe and secure because it 
had been passed into the strong box. The 
rainy day was provided for ; they were ready 
to welcome the stranger and send him on his 
way rejoicing. 

But on one occasion the members of the 
lodge were made to feel that the strong box 
in some way was weak. On a certain even- 
ing, after the lodge was opened and the order 
of business, "The Sick and Distressed," was 
reached, a distressed stranger brother ap- 
peared and made known his needs. The hos- 
pitalities of the members were pressed upon 
him, his glass and his pipe were filled, and 
they partook with him. As the smoke thick- 
ened and the viands disappeared the broth- 
er's appeal was considered and the desired 
aid was unanimously voted to him. With 
steps of importance the three custodians ap- 
proached the strong box with their keys, that 
they might turn over the desired amount 
from their splendid fund of eighty dollars. 



tbe mother American Lodge 141 

They all applied their keys, and as the clicks 
died away they raised the lid of the box and 
peered within to view their treasure. But, 
to their consternation, the fund had gone, 
and they gazed into each other's faces with 
pallid cheeks, and with one accord raised 
their hands and eyes to heaven and ex- 
claimed: * 'The box is empty; the money is 
gone!" All search for the treasure was in 
vain. No one has ever found out from that 
day to this what became of that money. It 
was a mysterious disappearance, and will re- 
main one. We may rest assured, however, 
that the needy brother did not go empty 
away, but that the hands of the members 
drew from their individual funds, however 
small, an amount sufficient to cheer the wan- 
derer and sustain him in his need. 

After one or two similar occurrences the 
lodge provided itself with such safeguards 
as were necessary to keep its funds intact. 
Not long after this time the plan of having a 
regular treasurer was adopted, and the lodge 
managed its finances in a commendable, busi- 



14^ Che Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

ness-like manner. A regular amount of clues 
from each member provided the revenue, 
and a systematic method of expenditure was 
adopted, greatly to the benefit of the lodge. 
About this time the benefit system, both sick 
and funeral, was brought into the lodge, and 
a part of the funds was used in extending 
relief to sick and disabled brothers and their 
families. 

Seventy-one years ago Washington Lodge 
had sixty-nine dollars and twenty-seven 
cents in a permanent fund. Since that time 
the amount has varied considerably, at times 
running away up into the thousands, being at 
most periods in her history reasonably pros- 
perous, but within the last few years falling 
even below one thousand dollars. Good 
brothers came to her rescue, and the rubicon 
is passed. In the beginning her charities 
were of necessity small, and in 1833, when 
we have the first definite report, her chari- 
ties amounted to two hundred and fifty-nine 
dollars during the year. In one of her flush 
years she paid out the significant sum of 



tbe mother American Lodge 143 

$7,255, while from 1830 to the present time 
she has paid out for the relief of her own 
members and others an average of about 
$2,000 per year, which makes for the whole 
period $146,000. It is said in the Bible, 
from which our principles are taken, that 
works are evidence of faith. Washington 
Lodge puts before the world an expenditure 
of $146,000 as an evidence of the faith she 
has had in the great principles which she has 
always professed. 

The Branches and the Fruit of the Mother Tree 

As previously stated, Washington Lodge, 
No. 1, was the supreme and sole power in 
Odd Fellowship in this country from April 
26, 18 19, until February 22, 1821, when she 
delegated that authority to the Grand Lodge 
of Maryland and of the United States. This 
body served from that time as the supreme 
authority in the Order until November 22, 
1824, when it resolved itself into two dis- 
tinct bodies — the Grand Lodge of Maryland, 
having only local authority as a State grand 



144 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

body, and the Grand Lodge of the United 
States, having supreme jurisdiction over the 
several Grand Lodges of the country. This 
latter body retained the name given to it in 
1824 until 1879, when it was changed to The 
Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows. 

This is now the title of the supreme body 
of the Order of Odd Fellows, which has 
been developed directly from Washington 
Lodge, No. 1. This sovereign body has 
jurisdiction over all the Grand Lodges, 
Grand Encampments, Rebekah Assemblies, 
and Department Councils, in all the States 
and Territories in this country, and in all the 
provinces and colonies of Canada, and also 
over Grand and subordinate bodies of differ- 
ent kinds in nineteen foreign countries. 

The branches that have developed from 
this Mother tree number fifty-five Grand 
Lodges in this country and Canada, and 
eleven Grand Lodges in foreign countries, 
which are made up of 13,279 subordinate 
lodges, having 1,069,906 members, which 



the mother American Lodge 145 

expend $3,775,000 per year in relief of the 
distressed ; fifty-two Grand Encampments 
in this country and Canada, and three 
Grand Encampments in foreign countries, 
formed out of 2,862 subordinate encamp- 
ments, having 154,950 members, which ex- 
pend $275,000 per year in relief of the dis- 
tressed; forty Rebekah Assemblies, com- 
prised of 6,064 Rebekah lodges, having 411,- 
955 members, which expend $67,300 per year 
in relief of the distressed, and fifty Patriarchs 
Militant Departments made up of 553 can- 
tons having 17,754 members. This makes 
a total of 197 State, Territorial, and Provin- 
cial Grand Bodies, 22,758 subordinate bodies, 
and 1,653,801 members. 

The total amount of invested funds and 
cash owned by these several bodies which 
makes up their assets reaches the enormous 
amount of $29,000,000. More than $19,- 
000,000 are received as revenue each year by 
these different branches of the Order. More 
than $4,000,000 are spent annually for the 
relief of the distressed members of this great 



i 4 6 toe Ked Blood of Odd fellowship 

Fraternity, while the annual expense along 
other lines reaches about $5,000,000. While 
we have not the exact figures it is reasonable 
to estimate that $100,000,000 have been 
spent in this country by our beloved Order 
since its establishment in 1819 for the allevi- 
ation of human suffering. A good estimate 
of its charity may be formed by comparing 
the amount paid for relief with the amount 
of revenue, which is estimated at $300,000,- 
000. These figures show that at least one- 
third of all its expenditures are for the relief 
of the widow, the orphan, and the distressed. 
These figures represent the members of 
the wonderful family that has been propa- 
gated by Washington Lodge, No. 1, and 
they also tell of the great usefulness of the 
Mother's children to this old world of ours. 
Try to comprehend the figures and you will 
partly understand what the power and influ- 
ence of the movement started by this lodge 
have been during the past eighty-four years. 




WILDEY MONUMENT, 
Broadway and Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Md. 



THE FOUNDER OF ODD FELLOWSHIP 



THOMAS WILDEY 

In all periods of the world's history think- 
ing persons have been interested in great men 
and great movements. Men whose names 
are connected with great developments, 
whether in the moral sphere, the political 
arena, or the religious world, have always 
been objects of special interest. They have 
been the makers of history and the life-pre- 
servers of the nations. They have taught us 
that human life is not a playground, but a 
battle-field, in which individuals may make 
their lives sublime by the ends they accom- 
plish. It is natural for us to cherish the 
memories of such men and to embalm their 
words in our hearts. 

In this age, especially, we have our atten- 
tion fixed upon men and movements, and we 

147 



us zte Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

realize as never before that the study of the 
individual and his products is the true and 
fascinating way to study history. The very 
fact, therefore, that the name of an indi- 
vidual is vitally connected with a great move- 
ment of any kind is sufficient to arouse our 
interest in and draw our attention to the man 
who figures most conspicuously in the move- 
ment. 

One of the greatest movements in the 
work of human benevolence in this country 
within the last century was the institution of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
Without fear of successful contradiction, it 
may safely be said that it is one of the most 
potent forces in the world for the alleviation 
of human suffering. For nearly a century it 
has waged a successful warfare against igno- 
rance and has used its utmost power to cor- 
rect the great host of evils to which men are 
subjected by their animal passions. It is a 
grand school in which morality is wrought 
out into the broadest and most beneficial re- 
sults. Many men have received higher ideals 



Ok founder of Odd fellowship 149 

of life and have been given stronger faith in 
virtue, charity, and benevolence as a result of 
their connection with this great Order. It 
takes hold of the selfish side of humanity, 
and by education elevates it into usefulness 
and unselfishness that approaches the divine. 

Odd Fellowship was brought into exist- 
ence by a natural development to meet cer- 
tain needs of the human race. Its principles, 
therefore, are vital and life-giving. It exists 
in response to the cravings of the soul for a 
domain of brotherhood, a fraternity wherein 
sweet and congenial companionships and 
mutual offices of kindness and regard would 
soften the asperities of life and remove the 
evils of prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance. 
Having been evolved because of conditions 
of this kind, those who are acquainted with 
its adaptability to the needs of the race are 
not surprised that its flag floats proudly in 
the breezes of every clime, and that its power 
is almost universally known. 

But we are not satisfied to look upon this 
great Order as we would a great building 



15° C'oe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

and review in the abstract its outline. We 
want to know something about the architect 
and feel, if we can, the heart-throbs that 
prompted the erection of the edifice. Who 
was the architect, and how did he accomplish 
his task ? This is the question. The demand 
is a just one, but compliance therewith on 
the part of the writer is onerous. 

The reproduction in a character sketch of 
an individual who has gone out from among 
us is a difficult undertaking. It would be 
folly to suppose that we could give a com- 
plete portrait, for even the best of artists fail 
to correctly put on paper after the subject is 
dead the features and form of the man while 
living. One can write down the testimony 
of those who knew his subject as to his 
words and actions ; and by his profession we 
can, to some extent, know what his senti- 
ments and emotions were. But after the 
story of the life is given and the works that 
follow him are recounted, it would be unwise 
to suppose that we can have a true concep- 
tion of the man whose life is depicted. 



Cftc founder of Odd fellowship 151 

However much study may be given to the 
subject, one man can never correctly set 
forth the sentiments and emotions of another 
on the printed page after that other has gone. 
We are puzzles to one another alive or dead, 
and as we recount the deeds and examples 
we can only judge of the character that has 
produced them as to whether it was noble or 
ignoble. If the hero was wise, we must be 
given an example of his wisdom; if he was 
good, we ask to see visible tokens of his 
goodness ; if he was great, we call for actions 
worthy of a great name. 

'Birth and Early Life 

Thomas Wildey, the father and founder of 
American Odd Fellowship, was a peculiar 
personage — a man of great strength and 
wonderful capacity, who required but the 
place and the motive to develop those quali- 
ties which made him the great central figure 
in the Order to which he devoted his life. 
All persons who have attempted to write a 
biographical sketch of the man agree that he 



i52 the Red Blooa of Odd fellowship 

was a most unique and singular character. I 
have had many conversations with persons 
who knew him intimately, and on this point 
they all agree. It is a tug of war to the 
writer who tries to portray such a character. 
Wildey had an ambition to be known to 
posterity just as we all have. His was 
greater than that of most persons and 
prompted him to undertake a separate and 
distinct narrative as a memoir in which he 
might recount the principal events of his life. 
With the assistance of a certain John Starr 
he began his task in his usual energetic man- 
ner. He was unfortunate, however, in the 
selection of his assistant, as Starr was grossly 
incompetent, and the memoir which he had 
hoped would gratify him to the fullest extent 
was a flat failure. Wildey's friends were 
always surprised at his unusual timidity in 
this matter ; he sought advice from none of 
them, nor did he seek better help, which he 
might have had. This attempt at an autobi- 
ography with Starr's assistance is engrossed 
in a bound blank-book, whose back bears the 



Cftc founder of Odd fellowship 153 

printed title: "History, etc., of the O. I. O. 
F. in U. States, from 18 19- 1834." The 
manuscript is made up of well-condensed 
matter, in good English and written in an 
accomplished hand, but altogether uninter- 
esting. There are a great many copies of 
letters, rough sketches of medals, and other 
less important things in the book. Wildey 
was greatly dissatisfied with this book and 
began a kind of autobiography with his own 
hand ; but there are only small fragments of 
this work to be found. So we have scarcely 
any material that comes directly from the 
hand of him about whom we write, which is 
greatly regretted. 

What renders a biographical sketch of 
Wildey still more difficult is the fact that 
almost nothing is known of his early life. 
Curiosity along this line has been manifested 
by a great many persons, but it has never 
been gratified to any extent. His early life 
was so humble and uneventful that it left him 
much in obscurity. While he was a man of 
the kind of heart that would have a parental 



'54 the Red Blood of Odd Tellowsbip 

reverence, he seems never to have spoken to 
his most intimate friends of his family or 
early life. Even those closest to him were 
not given any knowledge of his private life 
and never witnessed those family scenes 
which usually indicate what the man is. 
While he was of a restless disposition and 
full of vitality, so that nothing could repress 
his animal vivacity, which was always mani- 
festing itself in frolic and humor, he was at 
all times reticent and silent about himself. 
He kept all of his domestic secrets in obscu- 
rity, and no one was permitted to know them. 
We do know that Thomas Wildey was 
born in London, England, on the 15th day 
of January, 1782, in the reign of George III, 
and that he was of humble extraction. He 
seems to have shared the common lot of most 
London boys of that period. He was placed 
in the parish school at five years old and left 
it at the age of fourteen, that he might be- 
come an apprentice and learn a trade. Evi- 
dently the school was of a low grade, for he 
seems to have acquired only the merest rudi- 



Cbe founder of Odd fellowship 155 

merits of an education during the nine years 
spent with his books. That he could not 
remain in school any longer seems to have 
been a misfortune which was the result of 
straitened circumstances, and which was not 
within his power to overcome. When he 
enlisted as an apprentice it was for the pur- 
pose of learning coach-spring making, and 
the records show that at the end of the usual 
seven years he was a skilled workman of his 
craft. He was about twenty-one years old, 
then, when he was released from his inden- 
tures as an apprentice and began his trade 
for himself. He pursued it as a journeyman 
for several years in many parts of England. 
He soon became prominent among his 
brother mechanics, not only as a workman, 
but in their class enjoyments. 

It is the man who fulfills his obligations, 
be he rich or poor, who can be depended 
upon, and no doubt this seven years of faith- 
fully-rendered service did much in preparing 
this young hero for his great life work. 
Those who have felt and realized the influ- 



156 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

ence of a worker in the world have no reason 
to be skeptical concerning him because he 
hasn't blue blood in his veins or because he 
hasn't a princely heritage and does not carry 
about a genealogical table under his arm. 
Too often have the weak been used to con- 
found the mighty, and the gold of the human 
heart to pay the price of that which lifts up 
the many, for us not to have confidence in 
the man who has to climb the hills of diffi- 
culty and wade through the sloughs of de- 
spond. I write it down that I believe Wildey 
is the greater hero because of the adversi- 
ties he had to struggle against. About the 
help rendered him in his great life work I 
shall say more later on. 

First Work in Odd Fellowship 

It was in 1804 that Thomas Wildey 
opened his eyes and beheld for the first time 
the mysteries of a lodge of Odd Fellows. 
Within the latter part of this year, when he 
was 22 years of age, he was initiated into 
Independent Lodge, No. 17, at Bath, Eng- 



tbe founder of Odd fellowship 157 

land. This was before the Manchester Unity 
of England was organized, so that Inde- 
pendent Lodge worked according to the 
early mode of self-institution. Being a rec- 
ognized leader, he rapidly won the confidence 
of his brethren and was promoted to the 
highest rank in their councils. The ener- 
getic spirit of the man inspired the members 
of his lodge with enthusiasm and carried 
him from the lowest to the highest chair in 
less than three years, which, at that time, was 
considered quite a feat. His lodge gave ex- 
pression of its appreciation of his capacity 
and zeal by presenting him with a valuable 
silver medal. 

Wildey's energy and zeal would not suffer 
the limitations of a lodge-room, for within 
three years after his initiation he resolved to 
dispense the principles he loved by spreading 
the Order in the City of London. In his 
characteristic way he rallied his friends to 
his support and succeeded in organizing 
Morning Star Lodge, No. 38. This was in 
1807. As we would naturally expect, he was 



'5$ the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

made its first noble grand and was its mov- 
ing spirit for about ten years, serving them 
as presiding officer for three consecutive 
terms. In both of these bodies the members 
seemed to exercise a good deal of freedom. 
While they were subordinate, in a measure, 
to what was then known as the Grand Lodge 
of England, the authority of the governing 
body was not rigidly enforced and was 
scarcely recognized outside the City of Lon- 
don. At this time there were many separate 
and independent lodges in England, which 
had not united with any organized supreme 
body, and the only bond of union between 
them was the use of the same kind of cere- 
monies and secret work. The institution of 
the Manchester Unity was brought about in 
such a quiet way that the news of its organi- 
zation and work had not reached the City of 
London. 

The opportunities, therefore, for Wildey 
to get a knowledge of the very great im- 
portance of the organization of lodges 
into governing or supreme bodies was 



tbc founder of Odd TellowsMp 159 

limited; and hence, so far as the devel- 
opment of that idea was concerned, oth- 
ers were on the same footing with him- 
self. It was his work in these two lodges, 
however, which prepared him for planting 
the seeds of the great Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows in the United States. Here it 
was that he learned the meaning of frater- 
nity and realized the strength of the bonds 
of friendship. His heart seemed to be full of 
promptings toward the betterment of condi- 
tions among his fellow-men. 

Seeks a. Ne e w Country 

About this time earnest and enticing calls 
came to him from over the sea. Many of 
his countrymen had chosen the new and 
highly-favored land, and were continually 
sending cheering news and most favorable 
reports to friends in the mother country. 
Such reports from a bountiful and prosper- 
ous land always find lodgment in the heart 
of a man like Wildey. So it didn't take him 
long to make up his mind to seek his fortune 



*6o lt)t Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

in the newer and richer country. The force of 
the appeal was strengthened by its having 
reached him at an opportune time. It was in 
1817, just after he had married. Full of 
hope, blest with health, and characterized by 
habits of industry, besides having a new 
wife, he was sure that he had passports to 
prosperity and happiness anywhere in the 
whole wide world. 

Following the promptings of his nature 
and responding to the calls, he sailed for the 
United States in the latter part of 181 7, ar- 
riving at Baltimore on the 2nd day of Sep- 
tember. He seemed to have landed with the 
idea that because of the seemingly favorable 
commercial relations existing between this 
country and Great Britain, the hatred and 
animosities engendered by the two late wars 
would be greatly mollified before his arrival. 
So he seemed at first to be altogether opti- 
mistic as to a realization of the full fruition 
of his hopes. 

But such was not the case. Baltimore at 
that early date was a great seaport town and 



€be founder of Odd fellowship 161 

ranked third among the cities of the United 
States in population, but its business was in a 
depressed condition and employment of any 
kind was hard to find. This was exceedingly 
discouraging to Wildey, and perhaps would 
have worked to his detriment more than it 
did had he not been a skilled workman of his 
craft. This brought him success where oth- 
ers failed and enabled him to support his 
family in a manner becoming a skilled me- 
chanic. His cheerful disposition stood him 
well in hand, and he bore the disappointment 
bravely and meekly, and his aptitude for 
work helped him to drive away the tendency 
to discontent. 

Like every stranger in a strange land, he 
felt the loss of companions, and no doubt his 
love for association with friends produced 
that feeling of longing that comes over such 
dispositions. Coupled with this feeling was 
also that feeling which resulted from realiz- 
ing that he was in a country where he was 
not specially wanted. 

Wildey was an Englishman; his burly 



i&2 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

form and characteristic accent marked his 
nationality, and rendered the forming of 
friendships difficult among the American 
population of Baltimore. The memories of 
Americans connected with the episodes at 
Fort McHenry and the destruction of the 
capital of the country were not at all pleas- 
ant. Their hearts were naturally prejudiced 
against Englishmen and full of dislike for 
them. They considered them rank enemies 
to all things American. Wildey had good 
enough common sense to realize that there 
was much to overcome, from the English- 
man's viewing point, and set himself sternly 
to the task. It was natural, however, for 
him to seek his own countrymen of the same 
faith and order who were residing in Balti- 
more and to be prompted to get them to- 
gether in some way. 

Wildey' s Meeting <with Welch 

His first meeting of an English friend of 
this kind took place in the winter of 1818, 
when he found John Welch. This gentle- 



the founder of Odd fellowship 163 

man was a carpenter, and the two mechanics 
soon became fast friends and spent much of 
their leisure time together. Wildey soon be- 
came aware that Welch had traveled to Jeri- 
cho, and they soon became bound together by 
all the forces which give strength to the 
Three Links. 

It was but natural for them to talk over 
old times; and, belonging to the same class 
socially, the tendency was to dwell upon the 
things that had interested them most when 
surrounded by old friends in the father-land. 
Wildey was an ardent lover of lodge-room 
associations, and most likely the social pleas- 
ures of the lodge received their share of im- 
portance in their conversations. While these 
discussions cemented their friendship, they 
also awakened new desires and evoked plans 
for accomplishing their purpose in getting 
as many of their countrymen together as pos- 
sible. W r ildey had been firm in the convic- 
tion that there must be several Odd Fellows 
in a city of 60,000 inhabitants where most 
of the people were of English ancestry, and 



i64 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

he was as firmly convinced that there was no 
reason why any good Odd Fellow in Balti- 
more at that time should not be glad to meet 
his brothers and help them form a lodge. In 
addition to this, he reasoned that all Odd 
Fellows in Baltimore must be Englishmen, 
and a call for Odd Fellows would likely 
bring some of his countrymen together and 
enable them again to enjoy the lodge affilia- 
tions as in the old country ; besides it would 
be of mutual benefit to all concerned in that 
they could work together in carrying out 
plans to mollify any harsh sentiment against 
them. 

Concerning his meeting with Welch, 
Wildey made the following note in his diary. 
We quote it for the curious reader : 

In the year 1818 he made many acquaintances; 
among these he was familiar with a Mr. John Welch, 
with whom he was afterward intimate until his death. 
Wildey often spoke to his new friend on the subject 
of beneficial societies, and was surprised to learn from 
him that no such association existed in Baltimore. In 
reply, Wildey suggested that he knew of a society 
which would suit this country, and mentioned the 



Cbc Toundcr of Odd fellowship 165 

name of the Odd Fellows. Welch carelessly re- 
marked that he had been a member of that Order, 
but had never met with one or heard of such a society 
since his emigration. By mutual admissions it was 
found that Welch had been a past vice grand in 
Birmingham, England, and Wildey had been initiated 
in that country in the year 1804. Wildey often 
thought on the subject, and finally concluded to pub- 
lish a notice for a meeting of such Odd Fellows as 
might be residing in the city. For this purpose he 
sought Welch and induced him to join in the call. 

Organizes the First cAmerican Lodge 

Wildey carried out his purpose by resort- 
ing to the public press. He inserted an ad- 
vertisement in the Baltimore American call- 
ing for a meeting of all Odd Fellows in the 
city. A consultation was necessary, and the 
only way to have it was to let the isolated 
brethren know about it and the date on 
which it should be held. So the first notice, 
which appeared on February 13, 1819, was 
inserted in several issues of the paper, and 
the meeting was called for March 2, 18 19. 
In these efforts Wildey manifested that tena- 
cious spirit which characterized his life work. 



i66 tbc Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

These notices reached only two lodge men — 
John Duncan and John Cheatham — and one 
of these had difficulty in proving himself in 
the signs and grips. 

The ordinary man would have been dis- 
couraged and have given up the matter, but 
Wildey, with his characteristic persistence, 
called one conference after another in order 
that plans might be adopted so that an- 
other Odd Fellow might be found and a 
lodge instituted. With failure staring him 
in the face, he resorted again to the public 
journal of the city, and on the 27th day of 
March, same year, issued another call. Rich- 
ard Rushworth responded and completed the 
number necessary to form a lodge. Wildey 
called his four brethren to his own home on 
the 13th day of April, and they all became 
satisfied as to the efficiency of one another to 
become members of a lodge instituted upon 
American soil. This seems to have been the 
real conception of the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows, whose birth took place on the 
26th day of April, 18 19, at the Seven Stars 



tfce founder of Odd fellowship 167 

Tavern, on Water street, in Baltimore. 
Wildey has detailed the incidents of the in- 
formal meeting and of the institution in his 
own handwriting. It is as follows : 

Pursuant to notice, the preliminary meeting took 
place on the 13th day of April, 1819. Four gentle- 
men were present with Thomas Wildey, making five 
in all. He examined them and was satisfied that they 
had been regularly initiated into the Order. Wildey 
then informed them of his intention to establish the 
society of Odd Fellows and craved their assistance 
for that purpose. He also stated that no such society 
was known in the city, and, of course, there was no 
organized arrangement to relieve the distressed or to 
care for the zvidow and orphan. And further, that the 
citizens to whom he had presented the subject did not 
wish any such society; that the name of the lodge 
should be Washington. This was consented to, and 
it was agreed that the lodge should be opened on 
Monday, the 26th day of April, 1819. The 26th of 
April arrived, and at 7 o'clock P. M. Thomas Wildey 
proceeded to open the lodge. He, first of all, took his 
obligation in the presence of the other four and then 
obligated them, calling the society the Washington 
Lodge, No. 1, of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows in the United States, the Father of our Country, 
God bless him! — a day which will long be held in 
grateful remembrance by every Odd Fellow. 



168 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

With Thomas Wildey as the noble grand 
and John Welch as the vice grand, thus the 
frail craft was formally launched. 

Name and Members of Lodge 

While, as we have said, it was natural for 
Wildey to seek his countrymen, it seems also 
to have been his purpose from the beginning 
to become a thorough American and assist 
others in wiping out the prejudices that 
rankled in the hearts of many of the people. 
A very good proof of this statement and of 
his influence along this line lies in the fact 
that while each of the charter members of 
this lodge had lately come from England, 
they raised no objection to naming the lodge 
after the great hero of our own country and 
the man who had taught England its severest 
lesson in war. It is reasonable to suppose 
that if any one man should have had the 
choosing of the name that man should have 
been Wildey, and that had he objected to a 
name proposed by another it would have been 
changed. The name, Washington Lodge, 



Ct)c founder of Odd fellowship 169 

was aptly selected, for who could say that 
this little organization, honoring the Father 
of our Country by wearing his name, had not 
in view a sincere purpose? This went far 
toward mollifying the sentiment that had 
declared them as enemies and secured favor- 
able consideration from the general public. 
Moreover, it revealed to all people who ob- 
served the workings of this organization that 
it was destined to become purely American. 
It has not always been the most thor- 
oughly educated men who have started 
movements that have wrought revolutions 
for the elevation of the human race. Nor 
has it always been necessary for those who 
formed the nucleus of an organization to 
rank high socially. If such were the case we 
could claim nothing of good for our beloved 
Order. We know that in the common use of 
the term Wildey was not an educated man, 
and that he and his associates had their 
faults. They were simple mechanics, with- 
out so-called social standing, and circum- 
stances of all kinds were unfavorable to their 



170 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

work. But the man with crude ideas and a 
sympathetic heart and ready hands to work 
frequently does the thinking for the more 
polished gentleman of literary cast, who puts 
the ideas into shape and is afraid to soil his 
hands in carrying them into successful effect. 
The man in the mine is as essential to the 
results as the polisher of the diamond, and it 
is not for you nor me to say which work is 
more meritorious. Our Order has been pol- 
ished and improved in many ways — in fact, 
made a modern institution; but shall the 
child, because it wears better dresses, say to 
the father: "I forget that I was begotten 
by you?" 

Witdey's Victory over Jackson 

While Wildey and Welch were struggling 
with the infant lodge, this question of rank 
and precedence was forced upon them. 
Within the first year of the existence of the 
lodge an ambitious brother, Henry M. Jack- 
son by name, used his utmost influence to 
take the laurel of precedence from Wildey's 



Che founder of Odd fellowship r 7 i 

brow and place it on his own. He was a 

member of the newly-instituted Manchester 
Unity of Odd Fellows in England and had 
lately left that country with the express pur- 
pose of becoming the pioneer of Odd Fel- 
lowship in America. This seems to have 
been one of his inspiring hopes, and he was 
bent on carrying it out. His mind was full 
of the charges and lectures that had just been 
issued by the new organization, and his was 
the kind of spirit that would fight for pre- 
dominance, fairly or unfairly. 

This statement is not unfounded, as his 
dealings with Wildey abundantly prove. No 
sooner had he been introduced to the lodge's 
chief than Wildey gave him a cordial invi- 
tation to attend the meetings of the lodge; 
and, as a compliment, invited him to occupy 
the chair of warden on his first visit. He 
took advantage of the position offered him 
and at once became dominated by his sinister 
motive to rob Wildey of the esteem of his 
brothers and bring about a condition by 
which he might be recognized as the founder 



172 Che Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

of the Order. He assumed the position of 
the oracle of the unwritten law, called "an- 
cient usage/' and used much tact in aiming 
to carry out his base purposes. Instead of 
introducing the new charges and lectures in 
a modest and brotherly spirit, he took advan- 
tage of the opportunity and cried out : "No- 
body in the lodge is correct!" This pro- 
duced consternation and was the initial 
movement for supremacy ; in fact, it precipi- 
tated the struggle at once. On more than 
one occasion Jackson pushed the fight vig- 
orously, but the members of the lodge, divin- 
ing his scheme and recognizing the baseness 
of his motives, gave honor to whom honor 
was due. Wildey, therefore, without exer- 
tion retained the laurels which he had hon- 
estly won, kept his position as the founder, 
and willingly recognized Jackson as a re- 
former. The justice of the result of these 
struggles and the complete vindication of 
Wildey seem more patent because the sole 
final arbitrator was an English brother, 
John Crowder, who had left England after 



the founder of Odd Tellowsbip 173 

Jackson did. The whole matter was turned 
over to this judicious brother as umpire, and 
his decision closed the matter by giving 
Wildey the place he so highly deserved. The 
decision of Crowder went further than stat- 
ing the relative positions of each; it estab- 
lished the well-deserved leadership of Wildey 
for all time. 

One is not surprised that the work of 
Wildey was subjected to criticism and that 
this rival appeared on the scene. No man 
ever began a reform movement, or good 
work of any kind, who did not have critics 
by the dozen, who, in their own estimation, 
could do the work better than he ; and some- 
times the arrogance of one or more of such 
critics prompts a fight for supremacy, but we 
are glad that most frequently the good sense 
of enough men, brave and true, causes the 
right to prevail. Some writers to-day are 
finding fault with Wildey and are preten- 
tiously weeping because his life does not con- 
tain many interesting incidents aside from 
those connected with the Independent Order 



174 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

of Odd Fellows. They are not satisfied be- 
cause he failed to do great things along other 
lines and attract attention as a popular hero 
in other spheres. But the success of Odd 
Fellowship was assured through the energy 
of this unlearned blacksmith, and that means 
glory enough to establish his reputation as 
"one who loved his fellow-men" for all time. 

His Fitness for His Work 

Wildey's opportunity in life was meeting 
his associates to form a lodge of Odd Fel- 
lows, and he knew the secret of success well 
enough to take advantage of it. This was 
the one thing that came home to his heart 
and aroused the passions of his nature. Here 
was his favorite pursuit reduced to the regu- 
larity of a duty ; he was surrounded by his 
comrades ; he had a fixed habitation for his 
pleasures and would ramble no more; his 
strange landlords were traded off for a re- 
sponsible and responsive host ; above all, he 
was chairman and leader of what he ardently 
hoped would become a permanent society* 



the founder of Odd Fellowship 175 

Nothing appealed to him like excitement, 
and his enthusiasm could be kindled into a 
white heat when the feelings of others would 
scarcely be responsive. He was always hope- 
ful, and it was only the extraordinary that 
could baffle his spirit. Dullness and stupid- 
ity had no place in his vocabulary, and his 
very presence was a sufficient signal to 
arouse the most dilatory to activity. He 
was not disorderly, but lived in constant mo- 
tion; was never quiet, unless sick or asleep. 
It was always hustle ! hustle ! with him wher- 
ever he went, and his exuberance counted 
for much when he undertook difficult things. 
While he was a bundle of energy itself, he 
had a very keen sense of a certain kind of 
decorum; he made order the rule of his life, 
but it was the order of precedence rather 
than of manners. He was almost fanatical 
in his English ideas of class and degree, 
which were indelibly impressed upon his 
character. For this reason he had a high ap- 
preciation of lodge rank and degree, which 
could never brook either question or censure. 



176 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

One of the most peculiar things about 
Thomas Wildey was his undeveloped instinct 
for mystery that caused him to enjoy it to 
the fullest extent. One of his closest friends 
who knew him best said of him : 

At bottom he was a devotee of secrecy; it had a 
charm that led him on until it overcame in that strong 
nature the inferior appetite itself. As the society 
slowly advanced he rose with it, and always as the 
leader. As it took on solemn form and affecting 
ceremony no man was more captivated by their 
charms than the bluff chairman. His rugged nature 
was large and found ready room for new impressions. 
His worship of mystery made him a fit priest to pre- 
side at the decorated altars. No boy was more be- 
wildered and delighted with fancy's story than this 
man, who was as natural as a boy in his love of the 
marvelous. To him the crowns and mitres of the 
officers were real, and the gavel and the titles of noble 
grand and Grand Master gave full assurance of 
splendid rank and supreme authority. The legends of 
the ceremonies were to him veritable history, and 
thus a kind of supernatural importance was attached 
to the doctrines and duties they enjoined. He came 
to believe in them with the simplicity of a child, but 
with the will of a giant ; and here we may find the 
secret of that devotion which made him great. Thus 



tfte founder of Odd fellowship 177 

he was sincere; he never doubted the enterprise or 
that it was worthy to succeed. Those who saw him 
in the lodges were always impressed by his earnest- 
ness and enthusiasm. 

Secret of His Success 

Wildey was a man of rugged nature, and 
there was great force in his make-up. His 
great zeal and abundant energy made him a 
leader among leaders. Because of these 
characteristics without effort he maintained 
his position at the head of the organization 
he fathered. No one could challenge his de- 
portment as a presiding officer, always affa- 
ble and courteous, but never failing to com- 
mand implicit deference. He always per- 
formed his duties in a dignified manner, his 
face beaming with cheerfulness and his 
movements precise in every arrangement. 
His great love for his work was patent to all 
who came in contact with him, and his un- 
bounded faith in his mission always asserted 
itself. His idea of his mission was that it 
was twofold. His heart was set first upon 
becoming the founder of a great Order, and 



*7* the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

his second great purpose was to have that 
Order spread fraternity all over the world. 
These were laudable purposes, and to them 
he devoted his whole life and made many 
sacrifices that he might see the fruition of his 
great hopes, serving for years without com- 
pensation. This is the reason he did not 
make his mark and attract attention in other 
fields — he was serving humanity. And the 
men who served in that way in those days 
never reaped as they sowed. But Wildey 
carried out his first purpose in his own rug- 
ged way and made it possible for those who 
followed in his footsteps to realize the fulfill- 
ment of his second great purpose. 

Wildey began his great work with the 
same self-confidence that asserts itself in the 
life of every man who makes his name great 
by accomplishing what he undertakes. In 
his own estimation of his powers he was con- 
scious of his strength, and in fancy was a 
famous man as early as 1822. His own im- 
portance he never underestimated ; from the 
first day he was the father and founder of 



the founder of Odd fellowship 179 

Odd Fellowship, and where was the man to 
say him nay ? He forgot everything else and 
became completely enveloped by his great en- 
terprise. Laborious days and sleepless nights 
were spent in devising plans to further his 
cherished project, and his meager holdings 
were disposed of that the word fail might 
not be written upon his banner. This one 
supreme idea prompted him to become all 
things to all men, that he might gain the 
more, insomuch that it is said his strong will 
would at times become supple and he would 
be constrained to use the arts of diplomacy. 
His lack of education caused him to feel at 
times unequal to the intellectual demands of 
the growing institution, but it can be said, 
greatly to his credit, that he was humble 
enough in spirit not to hesitate to seek the 
advice and assistance of his superiors. 

Speaking along this line an eye-witness of 
his labors gives the following testimony: 
"The same idea bowed his iron will and 
stayed his despotic energy at every stage 
where change and strategy were required by 



is° tbc Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

the changing times and events of the period. 
In all critical junctures his sure eye found 
the counsellor for his purpose, and once 
found all his imperial faculties were united 
to drive on in the new direction. He was 
never wasteful of his money, but when he 
saw the Order in want it stirred his great 
soul and made him sick at heart. At such 
times he came forward with his all and his 
credit in the bargain. If the Order lacked a 
place of meeting he turned out his household 
to give it shelter. If it wanted a messenger 
his response was : 'Here am I.' On all sides 
he spread around it his protection and affec- 
tion as the child of his very soul. This was 
the more intensified because he gave himself 
to no other fixed employment. This was his 
business — all else but temporary expedients. 
No wonder his associates gazed on him with 
astonishment and gave him the pre-emi- 
nence. He had purchased it with his money, 
deserved it by his labors, conquered it by his 
zeal, held it by his prudence, and indeed 
owned it, as such men are the natural own- 



Cbe founder of Odd fellowship 181 

ers and chieftains among others ; for in him 
was that native force that defies and subdues 
all competition." 

Though he lacked some of the qualities 
of the polished gentleman, he was head 
and shoulders in marks of greatness above 
most men of his day, and had he devoted 
himself to other interests I have no doubt he 
would have made a decided impression upon 
the life and history of the community in 
which he lived. 

Leader in the First Grand Lodge 

The charges and lectures which Wildey 
received from Jackson were helpful to him in 
their way, but it is doubtful whether the ex- 
periences with this brother as a whole were 
beneficial to the little organization, of which 
he was the ruling spirit. However, in spite 
of the difficulties, through the earnest efforts 
of Wildey and his four brethren, the lodge 
was increased to nineteen members during 
the first five months of its existence. This 
meant the addition of fourteen new mem- 



1S2 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

bers, and when we consider the circum- 
stances we must conclude that it was an ex- 
cellent showing. 

Had Wildey confined his efforts to the 
mother lodge which he had established and 
sat down to enjoy the social influence and 
material assistance that this lodge could give 
him, without having a broader conception of 
the work that could be accomplished in dis- 
pensing the principles of our beloved Order, 
his labors would have been unheralded in the 
world. We may congratulate ourselves that 
he really had a broader horizon to his vision 
than many have given him credit for. When 
the time had fully come he was the leading 
spirit in the work of separating the legisla- 
tive from the operative portion of the Order, 
which resulted in the establishment of a 
Grand Lodge composed of past grands. Of 
course, some may say that this was done 
for the purpose of settling a difference that 
arose between the first two lodges instituted, 
and was in this way forced upon them. Con- 
ceding, even, that the ambitious brothers 



Cfte founder of Odd fellowship 183 

who withdrew from Washington Lodge by 
their action had brought on a disturbance, as 
Wildey and his friends were able to meet the 
demands of the situation and develop good 
results from a quarrel that might have been 
the destruction of both lodges, we must give 
them the credit which their judicious action 
deserves. It is evident, however, that they 
saw more in this movement than the mere 
settlement of a quarrel. They understood 
that an advanced step was necessary in order 
that the troublesome, pugnacious element 
might be eliminated from the legislative 
council of the Order. In this movement we 
see that Wildey had a knowledge of the con- 
ditions necessary to promote the greatest 
progress in the most substantial way. 

Inasmuch as Wildey was elected the first 
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mary- 
land and of the United States, which was 
instituted February 22, 1821, we cannot but 
conclude that he was the recognized leader in 
the movement. He was always ready to ad- 
vocate any measure that was for the good of 



i84 tfte Rca Blood of Odd fellowship 

the Order, and figured prominently in deter- 
mining the relation of the subordinate lodges 
to the Grand Lodge of Maryland and of the 
United States, and also in drafting the con- 
stitution, which was adopted November 22, 
1 82 1. Through all the difficulties which the 
infant organization had to pass the first 
Grand Master honored his office in bringing 
it success. When his fraternal family had 
the misfortune to be without a home his dis- 
interested love for the principles that held 
the family together caused him to open the 
doors of his own house and give the mem- 
bers a meeting place. On the first occasion 
Washington Lodge and the Grand Lodge 
met in his house weekly for the period of 
four months. On the second occasion the 
members of Columbia Lodge, another part 
of his family, met in his house for a period 
of about six years. So we see that Wildey's 
home was a refuge for all Odd Fellows in 
distress. Surely, if the children of the com- 
mon parent have gratitude in their hearts to- 
day, they will rejoice because this big- 



tfee founder of Odd fellowship 185 

hearted man so thoroughly devoted himself 
to the interests of the Order. 

Leader in the G. L. of the U. S. 

This kind of zeal and devotion could not 
but produce results, and we are not surprised 
that prosperity began to smile upon the 
Order. Wildey was indefatigable in his ef- 
forts to advance its interests by sowing the 
seeds of fraternity broadcast. Not many 
years passed before the increase in member- 
ship was greatly encouraging, and the Order 
had spread over many States. Wildey and 
his advisers considered another development 
necessary. Inasmuch as there was a reason- 
ably large number of members in several 
States it was considered a good thing to or- 
ganize a body to which the State bodies 
would be subordinate; this would bring 
about the separation of the Grand Lodge of 
Maryland and of the United States into two 
distinct bodies. It was at the session of this 
body, held on November 24, 1824, that this 
was agreed upon, and at the same session the 



i86 the Kod Blood of Odd fellowship 

following resolution was adopted, which is 
proof that Wildey still held his place as the 
honored leader : 

Resolved, That Thomas Wildey be presented with 
a medal as a small token of our respect for his emi- 
nent services, his indefatigable zeal for spreading the 
Order of Odd Fellowship throughout the United 
States, and his unexampled assiduity and attention to 
its best interests while Grand Master of the Grand 
Lodge of Maryland and of the United States. 

When the Grand Lodge of the United 
States was organized January 15, 1825, be- 
ing composed of representatives from Mary- 
land, Massachusetts, New York, and Penn- 
sylvania, Wildey was unanimously elected 
as Grand Master of that body. He contin- 
ued in this office under the title of Grand 
Master until 1826, and thereafter under the 
title of Grand Sire until the session of 1833, 
when he voluntarily retired from office. 

Thus ended the official career of the Father 
of Odd Fellowship. It would be difficult to 
tell of the many ways in which he proved his 
love for the Order within that period. For 



Cbc rounder of i)M T ellowsbip 1S7 

years he had dedicated himself entirely to its 
interest, and it was greatly gratifying to him 
to realize that the success of his great enter- 
prise was a certainty. By traveling thousands 
of miles over the roughest kinds of roads, 
visiting cities in different States, and by 
sacrificing his time and spending much of his 
own money within the years that had passed, 
he had instituted four lodges in Maryland, 
established the Order in eight States of the 
Union, organized the Grand Lodge of Mary- 
land and of the United States and later sep- 
arated that body into State and National 
bodies, the latter being the Grand Lodge of 
the United States, and originated and estab- 
lished the Patriarchal branch of the Order. 
Besides, he had made a trip to England, 
where he was received with open arms and 
achieved the greatest diplomatic success of 
his life, which resulted in the independence 
of American Odd Fellowship. Without ap- 
prising his brethren of his purpose and move- 
ments, he crossed the ocean, boldly presented 
a claim to the Manchester Unity for an inde- 



i88 tbe Red Blood of Odd UWomhlp 

pendent charter, procured the same as a free 
gift, and returning presented it to the Grand 
Lodge of the United States, thus making our 
Order in this country an independent Ameri- 
can institution. While he was necessarily 
put to great expense both in time and money, 
the whole enterprise was successfully 
wrought out and turned over as a free gift. 
While Wildey had often felt himself un- 
equal to the demands of the rising and grow- 
ing institution in an intellectual way, he had 
gathered around him men of superior capa- 
bilities, upon whom he could depend for as- 
sistance. He now felt that his well-developed 
offspring was vigorous enough to pass from 
his own paternal care and enter upon a life 
of self-reliance and independence. Knowing 
the character of the men who would follow 
in his footsteps, he was willing to lay aside 
the insignia of authority, give up the ruler's 
staff, and let the crown rest upon the brow of 
some other faithful devotee, who would be 
the choice of his brethren. 



the founder of Odd fellowship 189 

Worth Attested by His Brethren 

It is a matter of rejoicing to us that 
Wildey's work was greatly appreciated by 
the representative men of the Order through- 
out the country. At an adjourned session of 
the Grand Lodge of the United States, held 
in Philadelphia, June 7, 1833, tne members 
of the body expressed their love for their 
honored leader in the following preambles 
and resolution : 

Whereas, the untiring zeal, devoted labor, and 
cheering success of Past Grand Sire Thomas Wildey, 
in the business of Odd Fellowship, entitles him to 
the approbation and favor of every Odd Fellow ; and 

Whereas, his indefatigable industry and unceasing 
efforts to unite this country from north to south, 
from east to west, in one common brotherhood, 
manifested from his earliest establishment of the 
Order, and more especially by his recent disinterested 
and laborious visit to the Western and Southern 
States, and the glorious success resulting from his 
tour by the establishment of Odd Fellowship in the 
great States of Ohio, Kentucky, and Louisiana, invoke 
our gratitude and imperiously demand a lasting per- 
petuation of his merits ; therefore, 

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to pre- 



190 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

pare and present on behalf of this Grand Lodge of 
the United States to Past Grand Sire Thomas Wildey 
a token of the high respect which this Grand Lodge 
entertains for these distinguished services to the 
Order and the affectionate regard which we cherish 
for his private worth. 

It seems that this encomium was not only 
richly deserved, but that each member of the 
Grand Body was heartily in favor of its be- 
stowal, for the whole body formed itself into 
a special committee to see that the expres- 
sion of love for Wildey and his great work 
should be crystallized in some form. The 
first thing this committee did was to pass 
another resolution, appointing a special com- 
mittee "to procure and present to Past Grand 
Sire Wildey a piece of plate of at least five 
hundred dollars' value as a mark of the re- 
spect and regard in which the Grand Lodge 
holds his services for the Order." 

When we learn that there was only ninety- 
seven dollars and ten cents in the treasury at 
the time, we are likely to conclude that their 
generosity went beyond the bounds of rea- 



tbe founder of Odd fdlowsbip 191 

son; but Odd Fellows all over the country 
opened their purses, and a magnificent plate 
of beautiful design and excellent quality was 
purchased at a cost of five hundred and five 
dollars. In the presence of all the represent- 
atives of the Grand Lodge this token of love 
and high esteem was presented to Father 
Wildey by Grand Representative Hopkins of 
Pennsylvania, "in the name of the Independ- 
ent Order of Odd Fellows in the United 
States of America." It was received by the 
chief in his characteristic humble way, and 
he made it the most sacred ornament of his 
home during the rest of his life, preserving 
it with the greatest care and regard. This 
plate, which is a valuable heirloom of the 
Order, and most of the jewels, medals, and re- 
galia, received from different lodges and en- 
campments of the Order by Wildey, have 
been obtained by the Order in Maryland and 
are held as sacred memorials to be preserved 
and transmitted to posterity. 

From the 26th day of April, 18 19, when 
Washington Lodge was instituted, until the 



] 92 the Ked Blood of Odd fellowship 

3rd day of September, 1833, Thomas Wildey 
held the most prominent office in the 
Order, and during the whole period was 
the recognized leader. On the latter date 
his very fruitful official career came to 
an end — a career that began under the most 
unfavorable circumstances, in a humble hos- 
telry, among uncultured mechanics, and 
ended amidst pleasing environments in a 
magnificent hall, among those whose names 
are recorded among God's noblemen. It was 
fitting that he should close his magnificent 
service as the Order's highest official in the 
following pathetic language : 

Brethren — The period has now arrived when the 
long and arduous relations existing between us are 
about to be dissolved, and the duties of the high office 
you have called me to discharge for the last eight 
years are to be surrendered to that authority from 
which it emanated. It is indeed, my brethren, with 
mingled feelings of pleasure and pride that I retire 
from office — the pleasure which the retrospect affords, 
and pride at the unparalleled prosperity which our 
beloved Order exhibits. Profoundly sensible of the 
distinguished honor you have conferred upon me, and 



tl)C founder of Odd fellowship 193 

penetrated with a lively sense of gratitude, I should 
be callous to the best feelings of our nature did I 
permit this occasion to pass without thus publicly giv- 
ing vent to the emotions of my heart. 

In the long official career which your confidence 
has been pleased to mark out for me, many things, I 
doubt not, have occurred, perhaps irregular and indis- 
creet. Such, my brethren, you may rest assured, have 
been errors of the head and intended in good part by 
your first officer — such errors as have not, happily, 
worked any injury to the gigantic march of our de- 
voted institution. It is needless for me to recount to 
you, who are so well acquainted with the facts, the 
brilliant history of our Order during the last eight 
years in these United States. It has earned for itself 
its own monuments and attained its long-denied rank 
in the scale of human charitable institutions. And I 
trust nothing shall occur to oppose its onward march 
to still greater pre-eminence and distinction. Friend- 
ship, Love and Truth are its animating principles, and 
should be deservedly cherished by us as the great 
pillars of social intercourse and human happiness. 

To you, especially, my brethren, the representatives 
of the States, am I indebted. To your friendly coun- 
sel, salutary admonition, and useful instruction much 
is due by the Fraternity, and to your vigilance and in- 
dustry for the welfare of the Order at large. To your 
unceasing labors and judicious legislation the Order 



194 tbc Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

is indebted for a wise and liberal constitution, which, 
while it protects and maintains the authority of this 
body, gives to every subordinate jurisdiction its just 
and legitimate rights. Your recent sessions have been 
attended with more than ordinary labor, and I doubt 
not that they will be crowned with success. 

Permit me, before I close these remarks, to beg you 
all most earnestly to believe that I have been directed 
with an eye single to the prosperity and well-being of 
our Order in my official course, and to ask of you to 
do me the justice to attribute the many errors I may 
have committed to over and ill-judged zeal, rather 
than to caprice or bad design. 

And now I beg leave to surrender my office to my 
successor, returning the homage of a grateful heart 
to the Supreme Being for the guardian care with 
which He has nursed our beloved Order, for banish- 
ing discord and disunion from among us, and putting 
the seal of disapprobation upon those who would pull 
down an institution created for purposes revered by 
the good and respected by the virtuous. Let me in- 
voke a continuance of His blessings; may He guide 
and direct your counsels and temper your delibera- 
tions with wisdom and judgment, so that you may 
preside over the destinies of this institution with re- 
ligious and watchful care; may He inspire my 
worthy successor with a due sense of the high respon- 
sibilities which await him and give to him that clear- 



tftc founder of Odd fellowship 195 

ness of judgment and firmness of character, integ- 
rity of purpose and brotherly love so necessary in the 
office with which you have honored him, and may He 
finally have Odd Fellowship throughout the globe in 
His holy keeping. 

Brethren, I thank you for your attention, and al- 
though it be painful to part with those with whom we 
have so long and intimately been associated by com- 
mon ties in unity of counsel and in joint efforts to 
rear and sustain an institution inferior to none on 
earth, (whose fruit is peace and good-will to man) 
yet the consciousness of honest effort to discharge my 
duties and the cheering success which has crowned 
our labors soothe the bitter recollection and sustain 
me. Farewell, my brethren, and permit me to tender 
to you individually my most affectionate regard and 
best wishes for your continual health, happiness and 
prosperity. 

His retirement from office did not cause 
his interest in the welfare of the Order to 
lessen in the least. Having been the recipi- 
ent of so many honors, it would seem that he 
would be inclined to want to figure as an or- 
nament and rest upon the laurels won. But 
not so. While he had a settled place in the 
hearts of his brethren, he ever held himself 



196 Che Red Blood Of Odd fellowship 

in readiness to devote both his time and 
means to the great work to which he had con- 
secrated his life, and because of this in the 
later years of his life he was of great service 
to the Order. "The man of few boon com- 
panions was now sought by the grave and 
wise. The humble mechanic, with a single 
zvord and a single grip, had become the au- 
thor of a system whose secret rites of mani- 
fold beauty and scenic power attracted the 
sympathies of the most cultivated persons; 
the rude beginner of a club had become the 
revered founder of a mighty Order; the 
illiterate coach-spring maker had surrounded 
himself with a senate of learning and intelli- 
gence; the foreigner, a stranger by birth to 
the country's traditions, had established an 
institution which, of its kind, was the pride 
of his adopted country ; the five men of the 
Seven Stars had, under his guidance, in- 
creased to thousands of the best citizens of 
the greatest cities and States, and the obscure 
denizen of Still House Lane, and such like 
abodes, was welcomed to banquets of honor 



the founder of Odd fellowship 197 

in public halls and was the cynosure of every 
eye. The childless and brotherless man had 
become the father of a mighty family and 
shared the affections of a glorious brother- 
hood. But above all, the name of Wildey, 
before unknown, had been borne by his ex- 
ertions and merits upon the wings of fame, 
until England and America, in their most 
virtuous citizens, rose up to do him reverence 
and dwelt with joy upon the utterance of 
that now celebrated name." 

Services after Official Career 

When Wildey resigned his office not one 
of the "famous five" of 18 19 was there to 
witness his reception of the honors conferred 
upon him. His former pioneer friend, John 
Welch, had wandered into other fields, some 
had died, and others were scattered and gone. 
Of all those who had fought the early bat- 
tles only two remained, and these had not 
joined the little army until about five years 
after the first battle was fought. The other 
persons present were later companions, who 



i9§ Zhi Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

had fallen into the ranks and were alto- 
gether a different class of men from the early 
pioneers. They were ready to push forward 
the claims of the great institution with the 
zeal that had characterized the first great 
leader and make it first among the great be- 
nevolent fraternities of the world. Wildey's 
association with such men had helped to pre- 
serve his vitality and faculties in a wonder- 
ful way, insomuch that while he was now 
fifty-one years of age there was no diminu- 
tion of his zeal and energy, and he was like 
most men in the prime of manhood. 

It was natural, therefore, for his successor 
to call upon him for additional service. 
Knowing full well that no man living at that 
time could arouse dormant lodges and inspire 
them with new zeal like the retired chief, 
Grand Sire Gettys deputized him to visit 
such lodges, far and near, as might need en- 
couragement ; also sent him as arbitrator to 
lodges in which differences had arisen. Of 
course, any work in the cause of Odd Fel- 
lowship could be placed on the shoulders of 



the founder of Odd fellowship 199 

this staunch devotee and he would cheerfully 
accept the burden without a word of protest. 

In the fall of 1835, in response to calls, we 
find him in Boston infusing new life into the 
dying embers of the Order. It required vig- 
orous efforts to resuscitate the languishing 
body, but no doubt his work was the planting 
of the seed that bore the fruit just a few 
years after his visit and started Massachu- 
setts on her career of greatness in the domain 
of Odd Fellowship. 

In the summer of 1837 ^ e ^ a ^ s m * the 
position of leader again and dispenses the 
principles of the Order in the Southland. 
August 20th of this year found him in his 
element organizing the Grand Lodge of Vir- 
ginia at Richmond. He continued to bubble 
over with zeal and energy, and on the 3rd 
day of October the Grand Lodge of the 
United States tried to concentrate these val- 
uable characteristics by appointing him its 
traveling agent, with the purpose of having 
him organize lodges and encampments in the 
South and West and look after the interests 



2oo tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

of the Order in a general way in those sec- 
tions. 

Between the months of March and Octo- 
ber, in 1838, Wildey traveled more than 
eight thousand miles, within which time he 
passed through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Vir- 
ginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, 
Louisiana, Missouri, Iowa, and Indiana, vis- 
iting and instituting lodges and encamp- 
ments, instituting Grand Lodges in Missis- 
sippi, Missouri, and Illinois, and carrying 
Odd Fellowship into the Republic of Texas, 
which was then a foreign territory. Such a 
journey in that period was more exhausting 
and attended with far greater difficulties 
than would be a journey to-day twice around 
the world. But Wildey 's great energy and 
indomitable will knew no barriers. The 
most enthusiastic zeal permeated every fiber 
of the being of this great apostle of frater- 
nity, the working of which resulted in great 
good to our noble Order. He was always 
ready to sow the good seed in every direc- 
tion. Nor did he permit any obstacle or bur- 



the founder of Odd fellowship 201 

den to hinder his efforts in striving to build 
up the cause, but continued to impart new 
life in every way possible to the great insti- 
tution. 

He had the entire confidence of those who 
had committed to his trust this great work 
and in all emergencies was clothed with the 
power to act for the body whose interests he 
represented. His experience in the past had 
been such as to school him for such judi- 
cious action as each occasion demanded and 
as would in every way result in good for the 
Order. His Journeys had advertised the 
Order extensively, and the result was that it 
grew very rapidly, insomuch that his service 
as traveling agent was no longer necessary. 
So his work as the apostle of Odd Fellow- 
ship closed with honor, and he was willing 
to witness the results of his labors and exult 
with others over them as he witnessed the 
grand uprising in the institution of lodges 
and encampments all over the country. 

The Order could confer no other honors 
upon its founder. He had enjoyed them all ; 



202 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

but his interest in his great work could not 
permit him to forget his first love, as many 
another man has done when the success of 
his enterprise has been secured. He was 
always glad to be numbered among his breth- 
ren when they came together in their coun- 
cils. Here were the workmen who had 
helped him construct his great edifice, kin- 
dred spirits to his own, and they w r ere de- 
lighted to have him among them. The hon- 
ors which had been awarded him as Grand 
Sire served as a badge to membership while 
Past Grand Sire in the Grand Lodge of the 
United States. In this body he represented 
no particular constituents, but the Order at 
large, and he still held himself in readiness 
to give the body the benefit of his past expe- 
rience, which, at times, was very valuable. 
For thirty-six years he was present at the 
annual sessions, whether far or near, except 
three occasions, when severe illness pre- 
vented. His characteristic cheerfulness and 
hearty handshakes served as a tonic to his 



the founder of 0<W fellowship 203 

old associates, who had stood by him in the 
thick of the fight in the early days. 

As another small token of the apprecia- 
tion of the father by his children, the Grand 
Lodge, in 1840, ordered painted a full-length 
portrait of Wildey. This painting is now 
the property of the Sovereign Grand Lodge 
and one of its most highly-prized pieces. In 
1 84 1 Wildey rendered his last official service 
to the Grand Lodge, being deputed by that 
body to make a somewhat extensive trip to 
the East and North in the interest of Odd 
Fellowship. 

His Last Days 

Thus we have recorded as much of the 
story of the life of the founder of Odd Fel- 
lowship as a sketch of this character will 
permit. No man who reads the few things 
here written but will readily concede that our 
hero was completely devoted to the Order 
which he founded and fostered, and that his 
consecrated labors have been of inestimable 
value to the world. The fundamental prin- 
ciples of his enterprise are as lasting as eter- 



204 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

nity itself, and the philosophy of his scheme 
will be acceptable to men as long as life is a 
blessing and victory over death is sought 
after. 

It was but natural that all Odd Fellows 
should droop their heads in sorrow when the 
news of his death flashed across the coun- 
try; it was the weeping of the children for 
their father. Thousands of them had opened 
their eyes upon the mysteries as the result of 
his own personal effort. The cheery voice 
and ready hand of the vigorous champion 
had performed their missions, but the influ- 
ence of their rugged possessor touched the 
eyes of his children to tears and their hearts 
to tenderness. He had reached the age of 
four score years when, on the 19th day of 
October, 1861, in Baltimore, the earthly fra- 
ternal ties were broken and he quietly passed 
to be initiated into the greater mysteries and 
join the ranks of those who had loved their 
fellow-men and had labored to lift all hu- 
manity nearer to the Great Father of All. 

In his splendid eulogy on Wildey at the 



the founder of Odd fellowship 205 

Front Street Theater, in Baltimore, James 
L. Ridgely, who was then Grand Secretary 
and an old friend and associate, said : 

It was my fortune to witness his last few days of 
life; to have received, as it were, from his own lips 
his parting words for his brethren. Amid the suffer- 
ings of his body and general prostration his mind 
never wandered; it was clear and unclouded, and 
dwelt almost exclusively upon that subject which had 
engrossed it for more than forty years. His worldly 
affairs gave him no concern, and he declined all notice 
of them. The great effort of his soul was now to bid 
adieu in some formal way to us all, to assemble us in 
his mind before him and to pronounce a blessing upon 
our labors. Looking him earnestly in the face, as it 
mirrored the noble sentiment, I expressed a readiness 
to commit his thoughts to writing. "To-morrow !" he 
feebly uttered, "to-morrow !" Alas ! that morrow 
never came to him; the gorgeous sun which was 
then pouring his golden flood of light upon his pil- 
low, his eyes never again beheld. As I left him I 
grasped his hand, overwhelmed by the gushing mem- 
ories of the past. We had been long companions. 
When but a boy, comparatively, he admitted me to 
his confidence and to his counsels. He had honored 
me with his friendship, which had never been inter- 
rupted during a period of more than thirty years. I 
had been his contemporary in the Order and a witness 



2o6 tbe Ked Blood of Odd fellowship 

of his labors and their splendid reward. These 
thoughts came fresh and unbidden as I looked upon 
his familiar and still serene countenance. I felt that 
I should not see him here below again. I was right. 
I never did, and never shall. 

A beautiful tribute, this, to one of human- 
ity's greatest heroes, and it is here written 
down, that the children may know concern- 
ing the legacy whose seal will be opened on 
"to-morrow." It is a truly beautiful picture, 
this great philanthropist holding on to his 
brothers by means of an untold message and 
considering himself as passing to his reward 
encircled by the strong arms of the Order he 
founded — arms that he had strengthened 
and tested in his life and leaned upon in his 
death. While seemingly resting in the arms 
of his friends, confidentially holding some 
message in reserve for them, his spirit took 
its flight on the 19th day of October, 1861, 
when he was in his eightieth year. 

Two hundred thousand Odd Fellows, all 
his children, scattered over forty-two differ- 
ent States, mourned the loss of this great 




TOMB OF THOMAS WILDEY, 
Greenmount Cemetery, Baltimore, Md. 



Cbc founder of Odd fellowship 207 

philanthropist. The streets of Baltimore 
were thronged with mourners for the man 
who had for years devoted his life to the in- 
terests of the widows and orphans, the sick 
and the suffering, and humanity in general. 
The occasion was a noted one because of the 
pomp and ceremony that attended it. Thus 
it was that he was laid away in Greenmount 
Cemetery, in Baltimore, where to-day a mod- 
est stone marks the resting place of the one 
who has had most to do in propagating in 
this country the principles of Friendship, 
Love, and Truth, linked together as they are 
in forming the fundamental principles of our 
Order. 

During his life Thomas Wildey erected 
for himself an imperishable monument, built 
of noble deeds and lasting examples of phi- 
lanthropy. This was not enough for the 
grateful Odd Fellows who mourned his loss. 
They desired to manifest in an appropriate 
way their regard and love for the founder of 
their great and beloved Order and their ap- 
preciation of his great work in its permanent 



2o8 cbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

establishment. The entire membership vol- 
untarily contributed a large fund for the 
erection of a splendid monument as an en- 
during testimonial to the father and founder 
of our great fraternal organization. On the 
20th day of September, 1865, on Broad- 
way, in Baltimore, such a monument was 
dedicated with solemn and appropriate cere- 
monies. The inscription upon its base sets 
forth the idea that represents the red blood 
of the story of the great founder's life. 
Here it is : 

He who realizes that the true mission of man here 
on earth is to rise above the level of individual in- 
fluence, and to recognize the Fatherhood of God 
over all, and the brotherhood of man is nature's 
true nobleman. 

This stately monument stands within a 
stone's throw of the great Johns Hopkins 
Hospital, and while the afflicted and dis- 
tressed go to this splendid fountain of heal- 
ing, it reminds them of the life-work of him 
whose great heart was burdened with the 
cries of the suffering and the needy. 



THE CEREMONIAL OF THE ORDER 



SUBORDINATE BRANCH. 

The study of the origin and development 
of the degrees of Odd Fellowship is both in- 
teresting and fascinating, and yet the results 
obtained are very unsatisfactory. Many 
writers have searched long and diligently to 
establish their authorship, and that of their 
signs and symbols, but without avail. They 
have traced the successful transportation of 
the principles of the Order to this country 
and their formation into the American or- 
ganization to Wildey, and the reconstruc- 
tion of these principles upon the firm foun- 
dation of deathless friendship, universal love, 
and everlasting truth to Ridgely, but have 
failed to call the roll of the names of those 
whom we should honor for the compilation 



210 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

and classification of the beautiful degrees 
that adorn the ritual. 

Odd Fellowship being the result of a grad- 
ual development in human society in the way 
of adapting means to an end, and having 
been wrought out by one addition after an- 
other by those who were not seeking for 
glory, such a condition is not to be wondered 
at, but rather expected. Some of the most 
beautiful poems are signed "Unknown," and 
many of the world's greatest movements 
cannot be traced to the real originator, so we 
may rest assured that our great superstruct- 
ure loses nothing in symmetry and beauty, 
even though we fail to name all the archi- 
tects and builders who performed the diffi- 
cult parts in its construction. 

It is not so much our purpose to attempt 
to establish the authorship of the degrees as 
to give a concise and readable sketch of 
them. Most students of the origin of the 
Order now seem to agree that it has its an- 
cestry in the social guilds of England, and is 
most likely indebted to the "Ancient Order 



Che Ceremonial of the Order 211 

of Bucks" for some of its titles and cere- 
monies. It is most reasonable to conclude 
that it received some additional features 
from the latter society, as it surely forms a 
kind of connecting link between the social 
guilds and Odd Fellows' lodges. 

The Making 

It is established beyond question that the 
early English lodges had quite simple cere- 
monies connected with their meetings. The 
prominence which they placed upon the work 
of giving relief causes us to conclude that 
they were thoroughly imbued with the idea 
of solid work, and the Order may well con- 
gratulate itself to-day that they made this a 
fundamental principle. For a great many 
years the beneficial work of the Order was 
the distinctive feature, and little prominence 
was given to the ceremonial work. In fact, 
this part of their proceedings was limited to 
an initiation, called a "Making," and the 
formulas for opening and closing the lodge. 
The word making used in this sense still 



aw the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

appears in one of the important books oi the 
Order; and the novitiate, when he hears it 
pronounced in its connection, always opens 
his eyes in a spirit of inquiry. lie does this 
because he doesn't know at the time that he 
has figured in a process similar to the one 
that used to be so denominated. All the 
earliest rituals described a Making' in some- 
what the same way. arid these were not ma- 
terially different from that of the ritual of 
the "Ancient Order of Bucks." The dra- 
matic forms had been compiled so as to 
please the initiate, and those conferring the 
degree did their part in impressing' him with 
the idea that there was a making going' on 
purposely for his enjoyment. Though not as 
polished in form as is ours to-day. the cere- 
mony imparted valuable lessons and vital 
truths to the initiate, and was always con- 
ducive to the pleasure of those conferring 
and of him who received it. 

Inasmuch as most persons like to know 
what the other fellows experienced, and we 
have the principal features of this ceremony 



the Ceremonial of tbe Order 213 

given by a pretty good authority, and can 
repeat them without violating an obligation, 
we write them down. 

The candidate was brought into the ante- 
room in the same manner as lodges of most 
societies bring in their candidates, and he 
was asked questions and put through a 
formula similar to those of other societies. 
He was then blindfolded and led into a room 
where he found everything as silent as death, 
and where a solemn charge was delivered in 
most impressive tones by the proper officer. 
It was to some extent a mixture of the 
sublime and the ridiculous, as the following- 
will show : 

Come, come, prepare, prepare, for dust thou wert 
and unto dust thou must return ; go down on thy 
bended knees. Now, presumptuous mortal, where is 
thy greatness ? Lo, leveled with the earth ! This is 
the state of man — to-day he puts forth the tender 
leaves of hope; to-morrow blossoms and bears his 
blushing honors thick upon him ; the third day comes 
a frost, and when he thinks, good easy man full 
surely, his greatness is a ripening, and then he falls 
as thou hast done. Boast no more of thy strength 



214 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

and power; thy greatness is only like a vapor, this 
moment present, but the next it flieth. 

Arise and stand! Presumptuous as thou art, and 
through the dreadful tracts of life thou hast to pass, 
shew me the fortitude which becometh a man; for 
if the fatherless children or widow thou hast 
wronged, now is the time to confess, when deep re- 
morse of conscience stares thee in the face, and 
thoughts of the blackest hue harrow up thy soul ! 

Stir up the furnace ! Make it ten times hotter than 
it is wont to be made ! The ponderous chains pre- 
pare! Be ready at a word to bind the victim to a 
stake! No refuge for the stranger can be found! 
Here is water on your right, fire on your left, beyond 
you a yawning gulf, and before you sharp-pointed 
instruments of death ! 

These words were accompanied with the 
necessary dramatic performances, but it 
rested with the neophyte whether he should 
be credulous or incredulous under the cir- 
cumstances ; those performing did not care. 

In some of the lodges the initiate at this 
point listened to a lecture and then proceeded 
on his journey, which was emblematical of 
life. In the lecture it was pointed out to him 
that his entrance into the lodge-room was a 



the Ceremonial of the Order 215 

symbol of the birth of man, and the difficul- 
ties he encountered were to remind him of 
the troubles men have in life. If they over- 
came the difficulties there would be a victory 
of soul over sense, and the final victory of 
the virtuous over the wicked. A significant 
part of this charge was as follows : 

Whence man by his free will is either confirmed in 
evil as his passions, if uncontrolled, lead him captive, 
and thus while on earth he becomes fitted to dwell 
with demons ; or else, regenerated by a belief in the 
Word of God. he becomes fitted for a divine inheri- 
ance in the regions of eternal bliss. The hood-wink 
was placed over thine eyes to denote that in our walk 
through life we are in the darkness with regard to 
what shall happen on the morrow. The two cords 
attached to thine arms represented the good or evil 
principles that actuate our motives, and thus preserve 
us in a general state of equilibrium. The death scene 
is intended as an emblem of thy death to former prin- 
ciples, and that henceforth thou beginnest a new life 
of usefulness, keeping the great end of living in view, 
namely, the perfect knowledge of thyself. 

Part of the vow which was made by the 
initiate in some of the lodges we have men- 



2i6- £«)c Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

tioned is characteristic of the times and 
worthy of repetition. Among other things 
the novitiate said : "All this I swear, with a 
fixed determination, without any hesitation 
or self-evasion of mind in me whatever, un- 
der no less penalty than having, first, my 
lower jaw severed from my face, my body 
divided into four parts and burnt to ashes, 
and then scattered to the four quarters of the 
globe, so that not the least vestige of such a 
vile wretch may remain." 

While there has been a complete evolution 
of the ritualistic work of the Order, it is 
more than likely that a part of this ceremony 
was used when Thomas Wildey, the founder 
of American Odd Fellowship, was initiated 
into Independent Lodge, No. 17, at Bath, 
England, in 1804. 

First Marked Development 

The improvement in the ceremonial began 
with the general improvement in the lodges 
in England. When the Manchester Unity 
formed a federal independence in 18 14 it 



Che Ceremonial of the Order 217 

made the first movement toward preparing 
a secret work. Before that time the ritual- 
istic element connected with the work of a 
lodge was considered of little importance, 
and it required considerable effort on the 
part of those interested to launch a move- 
ment for its betterment. They finally suc- 
ceeded in having a committee appointed to 
prepare suitable lectures, with appropriate 
signs, passwords, and grips. This commit- 
tee was given special instructions to use its 
utmost efforts to make them both interesting 
and instructive. They succeeded in working 
out three degrees, which they named the 
Making, or first degree ; the Royal Blue, or 
second degree; and the Scarlet degree, or 
Priestly Order. The Making is followed by 
three lectures, each in the form of a cate- 
chism, and both the other degrees are fol- 
lowed by a similar lecture. 

The Making consisted of impressive 
charges delivered by the principal officers of 
the lodge, setting forth the principles, doc- 
trines, and duties contained in the Order; 



2is tM Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

also of the vows taken by the initiate. The 
dramatic idea had not gained so prominent a 
place in the ritualistic work as it secured 
later, and did not enter largely into the Mak- 
ing. The three lectures following the Mak- 
ing were for the purpose of enlarging upon 
the principles, doctrines, and duties of the 
Order. 

In the Royal Blue degree the candidate 
represented Moses, who was imbued with 
the benevolent spirit insomuch that he was 
willing to forsake honor and riches that he 
might relieve his distressed brethren. He 
was reminded of his duties to God, to his 
neighbor, and to himself. The lecture which 
followed this degree dwelt upon the dealings 
of God, through Moses, with the Israelites 
and the Egyptians, and admonished the 
brother, as an Odd Fellow, to reverence God 
as eternal and infinite, and the Creator of all 
things, and to always bring speedy relief to 
the distressed wherever scattered. 

In the Scarlet degree the candidate rep- 
resented Aaron as high priest, being a holy 



tbe Ceremonial of the Order 219 

and compassionate man. He was admon- 
ished to contemplate the wonderful works of 
the Creator, to regulate his conduct by His 
written word, and to be compassionate to 
his brethren by supporting them in trouble, 
and delivering them from it in every way 
possible. The sentiments set forth in the 
lecture were temperance, fortitude, pru- 
dence, and justice. 

There are references to Jesus as the Son of 
God in each of these degrees, which seems to 
indicate that the members of this committee 
and the members of the lodges generally at 
that time were Christians. 

The committee submitted these degrees to 
the Manchester Unity in May, 18 16, which 
body adopted them and had them printed 
and given out among the lodges. There 
is now a copy of this work among the 
archives of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, 
which is reasonably well preserved. It is 
called Lectures, etc., Used by the Manches- 
ter District, and was printed by Mark War- 
die, at Manchester, in 1824. It contains the 



220 



t»e Red filood of Odd fellowship 



degrees in their order, as already mentioned. 
Although crude, so far as literary merit is 
concerned, it is full of good thought and 
laudable suggestions. 

Some persons have been somewhat skep- 
tical concerning the work of this committee 
because its members failed to proclaim that 
they were the originators of these degrees. 
Inasmuch as they did not worry over the 
matter, it is useless for us to parley about it 
except to say that credit is due them for 
their efforts, which resulted in their adop- 
tion by the Manchester Unity, and after- 
wards their transportation to this country. 

Its Use in Washington Lodge 

When Thomas Wildey came to this coun- 
try he brought no ritual with him, and all 
that he had to depend upon was his memory 
of the secret work. This consisted of what 
he had received, in connection with his work 
before leaving England. On account of his 
enthusiasm in the Order in the mother coun- 
try it is reasonable to suppose that he had a 



Cbe emmonial of tbe Order 221 

very good knowledge of it. The other four 
brothers who assisted him in the institution 
of the Mother Lodge were not as well 
equipped along this line as he. So in the be- 
ginning Washington Lodge had no ritual; 
besides, its members were found to represent 
different elements of the Order as it then ex- 
isted, and had no common lesson among 
them. The situation was a difficult one, be- 
cause they could not in those days lawfully 
impart their information to one another. It 
is most likely, however, that the instruction 
which the first initiates of Washington 
Lodge received was such as had been re- 
tained in the mind of Wildey, and consisted 
chiefly of the Making, or one degree origi- 
nally used in the Order. Ten members had 
been initiated into the lodge before it had 
received the degrees which were devised by 
the committee of the Manchester Unity. Of 
these the members were entirely ignorant 
until Henry M. Jackson made his visit to the 
lodge in May of 18 19. He brought with him 
from England the degrees, lectures, and 



222 tbc Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

charges as they had been adopted by the 
Unity, and imparted them to the members of 
the lodge. At this time, then, it is certain 
that the lodge began using the degrees in 
about the same form as they appear in Mark 
Wardle's book. Washington Lodge secured 
them later in book form, and made them the 
foundation of the system afterward adopted. 

Some of those who have written descrip- 
tions of the degrees of the Order seem to 
have made an error just at this point. They 
have stated that Mark Wardle's book con- 
tains the White, Blue, and Scarlet degrees in 
full. What this book really contains in the 
way of degrees are the Making, or first de- 
gree; the Royal Blue, or second degree; 
and the Scarlet degree, or Priestly Order. 
The reader will note that the White degree 
is not mentioned, and the facts stated later 
on will reveal that it was developed in the 
American revision of 1845. 

This brings us to the next development in 
the ritualistic part of the Order, and puts us 
on surer ground. 



tbe Ceremonial of tl)e OWer 223 

Additional Degrees Adopted 
This was the careful preparation of the 
Covenant and Remembrance degrees, and 
their accompanying lectures. The adoption 
of these degrees, which took place Novem- 
ber 25, 1820, gave a great impetus to the 
work of the Order, and their introduction 
was regarded as a remarkable occurrence. 
The author of these degrees was one of the 
past grands of Washington Lodge — John 
Pawson Entwisle — who was highly compli- 
mented by their unanimous acceptance and 
adoption by the committee of past grands, 
and afterwards by the lodge. When Thomas 
Wildey visited England in 1826 he presented 
these degrees to the Manchester Unity, and 
on June 6, 1827, that body adopted them. 
So it turned out that a past grand of Wash- 
ington Lodge made a handsome gift to the 
English Order, and thereby greatly enriched 
her ritualistic work. 

After the adoption of Entwisle's degrees 
on November 25, 1820, our American Order 
had the following systematic arrangement of 



224 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

its ritualistic work : The Making, followed 
by three lectures, which about this time be- 
gan to be called the First degree ; the Cove- 
nant degree; the Second, or Royal Blue de- 
gree, followed by a lecture; the Remem- 
brance degree; and the Third, or Scarlet de- 
gree, followed by a lecture. It will be noted 
that the Covenant and Remembrance de- 
grees, as prepared by Entwisle, were simple- 
sandwiched between the other degrees with- 
out changes of titles as to consecutive order. 
There were no radical changes made in 
the original degrees, and their lessons were 
the same. The Covenant degree was based 
entirely upon Bible teaching, calling atten- 
tion to the ancient existence of covenants 
upon the earth and the solemnity that always 
accompanied the making of covenants. The 
beautiful story of Jonathan and David occu- 
pied the place of primary importance as illus- 
trating the splendid lesson of the degree. It 
is in this degree that friendship makes its 
first step toward securing such a prominent 
place in our Order. The Remembrance de- 



Che Ceremonial of the Order 225 

gree was almost wholly made up of quo- 
tations from the Psalms and Proverbs, which 
were constant reminders to the Odd Fellow 
of his duties. The lessons of both of these 
degrees were wholesome in every way, and 
worthy of a place in the life of any man. 

Interesting Books in Archives 

The first books which seem to have been 
printed in the interest of the Order in this 
country were those containing these degrees. 
The one which is the best looking of these, 
found in the archives of the Sovereign Grand 
Lodge, is a small book consisting of eighty- 
one pages, called the "Charge Book Adopted 
by the Grand Lodge of Maryland of Inde- 
pendent Odd Fellows." It bears the date of 
April, 1 83 1, and the certificate on the first 
page of the book declares that the charges 
contained in the book "have been revised and 
adopted by unanimous assent, and are the 
only ones which are recommended to be used 
in lodges under the jurisdiction of this lodge 
to which all noble grands, vice grands, 



226 ZM Red Blood of Odd ?ellow*bi# 

and other officers will pay due regard." 
There are only two parts of the ceremonial 
work in this book — the opening exercises 
and the Making. It is called a charge book 
because the Making, which is made up prin- 
cipally of charges, composes nearly the whole 
of it. The copy which is on file has the ap- 
pearance of a book that has been much abused 
in the hands of a country school-boy, who 
never used the old-time thumb-card. Its 
condition shows that it has rendered much 
hard service, and seems to convey the im- 
pression that our early brethren placed more 
prominence on the Making than on the other 
degrees of the Order. 

There is also a companion book in the 
archives which bears no date, but was evi- 
dently printed about the same time, contain- 
ing the degrees, lectures, and charges of the 
Order arranged in the order already men- 
tioned. 

When the Grand Lodge of Maryland and 
of the United States was instituted on the 
22nd of February, 1821, it placed a perma- 



Cbe Ceremonial of the Order 227 

nent value on these degrees in connec- 
tion with the issuing of charters. The 
charge was ten dollars for the charter, ten 
dollars for the books and charges, together 
with the Making, the Blue, and the Scarlet 
degrees, and ten dollars for the intermediate 
degrees, called the Covenant and Remem- 
brance. In this way the charge of thirty dol- 
lars for a charter originated, and while the 
number of degrees has changed, the price re- 
mains the same. The fact that, at this time, 
the price was so much increased beyond the 
former price is a proof that they were con- 
sidered relatively of more value than the old 
work. 

In those days the business of the lodge 
was performed in the first degree, so that all 
who had entered could participate therein. 
The degrees were conferred only upon 
those who had proved themselves by regular 
attendance upon lodge duties for stated peri- 
ods. The regulations that had been adopted in 
1 8 18 by the Manchester Unity were made 
binding in this country, and were as follows : 



228 Cbc Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

For the Blue degree, faithful membership 
during three months, and for the Scarlet de- 
gree, six months. No extra charges were 
made for the degrees, but each candidate was 
required to make formal application, and the 
degree was voted to him by ballot. The 
lodges did not confine the lectures to candi- 
dates, but read them at regular periods to 
those qualified for the common benefit. 
After the Covenant and Remembrance de- 
grees were adopted the candidate could take 
a degree every three months until he had re- 
ceived all of them. 

Marked Improvement Ma.de 

The different editions of the charge books 
and degree books which have been preserved 
show that the ceremonial part of the Order 
was constantly subjected to changes in minor 
ways as the years passed, all for the purpose 
of improving and perfecting it. This grad- 
ual changing continued until 1845, when 
a complete revision of the ritualistic work 
was made. 



Che Ceremonial of the Order 229 

At the session of the Grand Lodge of the 
United States, held in 1844, a series of four 
resolutions was introduced providing that a 
committee of five be elected by ballot and 
given full power to revise the lectures and 
charges of the Order; that the committee 
meet in Baltimore and perform their work, 
their expenses being . borne by the Grand 
Lodge; that a special session of the Grand 
Lodge be called at a convenient date to con- 
sider the report of the committee; and that 
the committee be authorized to have their re- 
port printed. The resolutions were consid- 
ered seriatim, and each was adopted. When 
the time came to nominate the members of the 
committee, out of thirty-seven officers and 
delegates nineteen nominations were made, 
from which the five were chosen. It is inter- 
esting to note from this procedure the im- 
portance that was placed upon the revision 
of this part of the work of the Order. Be- 
fore this, efforts had been made to promote 
such a movement, but without avail. 

The committee executed its work in a 



230 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

commendable way, and reported to the 
Grand Lodge of the United States at its 
special session held in Baltimore on the 9th 
day of September, 1845. The revised lec- 
tures and charges, which were principally the 
work of James L. Ridgely, were adopted as 
submitted by the committee. This revision 
marked the greatest development toward 
perfecting the ritual that had been made in 
the history of the Order, and was especially 
characterized by careful prunings and judi- 
cious additions. The typhoid English and 
careless arrangement of the old work was 
replaced by the language and logic of a mas- 
ter. The work as adopted consisted of the 
Form of Initiation; the first, or White de- 
gree; the second, or Covenant degree; the 
third, or Royal Blue degree; the fourth, or 
Remembrance degree; the fifth, or Scarlet 
degree, each followed by a charge or lecture, 
to be delivered by the noble grand. There 
were also forms for opening and closing, and 
a form for installing officers adopted at the 
same time. It will be noted that "Form of 




RIDGELY MONUMENT, 
Harlem Park, Baltimore, Md. 



the Ceremonial of the Order 231 

Initiation" is here substituted for what was 
previously known as "Making," and that the 
name "White" degree is introduced for the 
first time in the ritualistic work of the Order. 

The Initiatory degree as prepared by this 
committee was substantially what it is to- 
day. It was in connection with this revision 
of this degree that Ridgely's famous past 
grand's charge was first printed, and it was 
given the same prominent place that it now 
holds. The White degree contained the most 
important part of the former first degree, 
with an additional charge setting forth the 
aims of Odd Fellowship. The principle to 
which it gave special prominence was char- 
ity. Its one lecture embodied the essential 
lessons of the three contained in the former 
degree, which were on the graces that usu- 
ally accompany charity — temperance, benev- 
olence, and brotherly love. White, which is 
emblematic of purity and sincerity, was se- 
lected as the color of this degree. 

The fundamental lesson of the Covenant 
degree was mutual relief, and there was no 



232 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

decided change in the lesson story, as quoted 
from the Bible in the former degree. It was 
enlarged upon by a lecture upon the incidents 
of the story, and a charge delivered by the 
noble grand, both of which dwelt upon the 
necessity of the existence of friendly rela- 
tions between the members of society be- 
cause of their dependence upon one another. 
Pink, which represents youth and modesty, 
was chosen as the emblematic color of this 
degree. 

In the Royal Blue degree, friendship is 
the great virtue that was dwelt upon, and 
adversity was set forth as the test. It is 
pointed out that genuine friendship will en- 
dure this test, and when all adventitious cir- 
cumstances are removed it will abide the 
gathering storm and shine in the darkest 
hour. In the concluding charge Moses was 
cited as an illustration of a noble friendship 
— one that prompted him to leave the de- 
lights of a court and honors and fortune for 
his despised and wretched countrymen. 
Blue, which represents all that is true and 



the Ceremonial of the Order 233 

beautiful, was chosen as the emblematic 
color. There was a marked change in the 
arrangement of this degree, as well as in the 
thought. 

Universal love is the great principle to 
which prominence was given in the Remem- 
brance degree. The principle ideas of this 
degree were that we are children of a Uni- 
versal Father, and that therefore all men are 
one great family and have a common coun- 
try for their home, and because of these rela- 
tions should love one another. It taught that 
if these truths were received and acted out 
in the lives of all men, all discords would die 
away, all the wrongs of society would disap- 
pear, and its millennial glory would arise. A 
great many of the quotations from the Bible 
were repeated in the revised form of this de- 
gree, and special emphasis placed upon the 
necessity of temperance. Green, represent- 
ing memory and eternity, was made the em- 
blematic color of this degree. The form pre- 
sented by the committee represented a de- 
cided change from that of the original. 



234 Cbc Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

The Scarlet degree was devoted to the 
principle of truth, which was dwelt upon as 
an intrinsic ornament of every character, and 
as the imperial virtue. This degree was re- 
modeled entirely, and the revision was a 
marked improvement. Scarlet, as a token of 
glory, rank, and power, was selected as the 
emblematic color of this degree. 

This revision was a complete revolution in 
the ceremonial work of Odd Fellowship. It 
was the bringing of order out of chaos. I 
have taken pains to set forth the funda- 
mental lessons of each of these degrees, that 
the great body of Odd Fellows might under- 
stand, so far as I can convey the informa- 
tion, what our fathers did in those days. In 
doing this, I hope, in a way also without di- 
vulging the secrets, to preserve in a form so 
that all may know who desire, the elaborate 
scheme which this branch of our Order in its 
earlier form presented to the world. It was 
at this period in the history of the Order that 
system entered its portal. 

The Initiatory degree taught that men 



the Ceremonial of the Oraer 235 

should be humble and that the soul should 
awaken to a just sense of its responsibility to 
God, of its duty to man, and to itself. The 
fundamental principles agreed upon at this 
time for the degrees were Charity, Mutual 
Relief, Friendship, Universal Love, and 
Truth. In the heart from which the angel 
of charity goes on her mission to the world 
there must dwell purity and sincerity, which 
are always clothed in white. Mutual relief 
must be given in the arduous spirit of spring- 
time and youth, and with the modesty that 
would cover the distress beneath the mantle 
of charity, and hence the appropriateness of 
pink as the color of this degree. Any rhan 
can have friendships from those who would 
fan him with their devil's wings while they 
suck his life-blood, but such Odd Fellowship 
warns against; and, on the other hand, en- 
courages those true and faithful friendships 
that might be stamped as true blue. Univer- 
sal love is meant to be world-wide and ever- 
lasting, just as the green grass covers the 
material world, and the evergreen reminds 



-'3 6 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

us of eternity. So the choice of green as the 
color was appropriate. Truth deserves glory, 
and rank, and power, so they clothed her in 
scarlet. 

Revision of J873 

Another committee on the revision of the 
degrees was appointed in 1872, and reported 
to the Grand Lodge of the United States on 
the 15th day of September, 1873. The de- 
grees as revised were adopted. In this revi- 
sion the number and arrangement of the de- 
grees were preserved, except that the title of 
the second degree was changed to the " Sec- 
ond or Pink degree, called the Covenant," 
and the title of the fourth was changed to 
the "Fourth, or Green degree, called the Re- 
membrance." There were two decided 
changes made in the subject matter. A uni- 
form plan of conducting the candidate into 
the lodge-room was adopted for each degree. 
There were inserted in each degree the em- 
blems and significations which were brought 
into use in this connection for the first time. 



tbe Ceremonial of the Order 237 

The Change to Three Degrees 

The last decided change made in the ritual 
of the subordinate lodge was brought about 
by the adoption of the revision of 1880. The 
wise men of the Order felt that the ceremo- 
nial work in this branch had become cum- 
bersome, so they resolved by this method to 
eliminate the less important part and pre- 
serve the best. Past Grand Sire James B. 
Nicholson was chairman of the committee 
on revision, and was assisted by twelve of 
the ablest men of the Sovereign Grand 
Lodge. 

These men laboriously evolved three de- 
grees from the five, leaving the Initiatory in 
about the same form as it had been in the old 
work. The first was called the Degree of 
Friendship; the second, the Degree of 
Brotherly Love ; and the third, the Degree of 
Truth. The first degree of the old work was 
cut out entirely. The story of the second de- 
gree of the old work was used in dramatic 
form in the first of the new, and the funda- 
mental principle of the third degree of the 



238 tU Red Bleed of Odd Ttllowbi* 

old, which was friendship, was used in the 
first of the new. This was a decided im- 
provement, because it connected the beauti- 
ful story of Jonathan and David with the 
principle of friendship, which it so well illus- 
trates. So there were three degrees of the 
old work disposed of before one degree of 
the new was evolved. 

Love, which was the fundamental princi- 
ple of the fourth degree in the old work, was 
retained in the Degree of Brotherly Love of 
the new, but otherwise the whole of the Re- 
membrance degree was dropped out, and the 
beautiful story of the Good Samaritan in 
dramatic form was substituted. 

The fifth or Scarlet degree was radically 
changed, and in its new form adopted as the 
Degree of Truth. However, there was more 
of the material of this degree preserved than 
of any other. 

The emblematic color selected for the Initia- 
tory degree was white, that for the Degree 
of Friendship was pink, that for the Degree 
of Brotherly Love was blue, and that for the 



cik Ceremonial of tl>c Order 239 

Degree of Truth was scarlet. There were 
also symbols selected for each degree, each 
of which is to remind the Odd Fellow of 
some great truth in the material world, and a 
thorough acquaintance with the lessons 
taught fortifies him in many ways to battle 
with the discordant elements of the world. 

From the preceding sketch it will be noted 
that Odd Fellows' lodges began with one 
degree. After years of work and develop- 
ment, it was deemed advisable to adopt three. 
This resulted from the work of the Manches- 
ter Unity committee, which devised the 
scheme that was adopted in 18 16. Not long 
after this our ardent American brothers de- 
sired to enlarge upon the work, and adopted 
two more degrees. This was in 1820. Be- 
fore these American degrees were adopted 
the Making was considered to be the first de- 
gree, and was followed by three lectures. 
When they were inserted and the work was 
printed the Making was separated from the 
lectures, and the lectures denominated as the 
first degree, so it resulted in five degrees be- 



24o the Red Biood of Odd fellowship 

sides the Making. Their use was continued 
in this country until 1845, when the first 
marked revision took place, but this revision 
did not change the number of the degrees, 
nor did the revision of 1873 change the num- 
ber of the degrees. This was done in 1880, 
when we returned to the same number that 
was first adopted by our brothers on this con- 
tinent. 

These degrees, as now used, show the re- 
sults of mature thought, both in the selec- 
tion of material and the arrangement of it. 
We do not say that they are perfect, but as- 
sert that they teach sublime lessons. There 
will be no stain on the character of the man 
who, as a good Odd Fellow, obeys their pre- 
cepts. Like the other parts of the Order, the 
ceremonial has always adapted itself to meet 
the needs of those who were being benefited. 

ENCAMPMENT BRANCH 

It is unfortunate that the early records of 
Odd Fellowship are so incomplete. Like 
the founders of most organizations of its 



Che Ceremonial of tbc Order 241 

kind, those of this Order failed to under- 
stand the importance of noting dates and 
facts that would have been valuable to those 
who followed them and profited by their 
work. This, no doubt, resulted from the 
fact that most persons connected with the 
Fraternity in its early history had no idea of 
the prominent place it would hold in future 
generations; nor did they realize how anx- 
ious those who came after them would be to 
know all about the origin of its different 
parts. As it was in the early history of the 
Subordinate branch, so it was in the En- 
campment ; it has no established birthday. 

Golden Rule Degree 

No one has been able to positively deter- 
mine whether the Golden Rule degree, which 
was originally called the fourth in Odd Fel- 
lowship, preceded or followed the Covenant 
and Remembrance degrees. It is the first 
mentioned, however, of the three which are 
to-day known as the Encampment degrees. 
The records of the Grand Lodge of Mary- 



H2 tbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

land and of the United States first speaks of 
it as having been conferred on five past 
grands on the 22nd day of February, 1821. 
On this date, therefore, it was introduced as 
the fourth degree of Odd Fellowship. This 
was the day that the Order entered upon a 
new era by the members of Washington 
Lodge surrendering their charter to the past 
grands, thereby delegating their power to 
the Grand Lodge, which was organized on 
the same date. The first act of the new 
Grand Lodge was to grant a charter to 
Washington Lodge, and it seems that it also 
wanted to exercise its newly acquired power 
by having a new degree conferred. The 
only reference to this degree in the minutes 
of that day is that "Past Grand Larkam, 
having been duly admitted to membership, 
the Golden Rule degree was conferred on 
five past grands." Some of our historians 
have asserted that the way in which the fact 
is recorded suggests that Larkam conferred 
the degree, and confirms the idea of its Eng- 
lish origin; others have asserted that this 



the Ceremonial of the Or<Ur 243 

theory does not hold, and try to make their 
readers believe that John Pawson Entwisle 
wrote the degree about the time he wrote 
the Covenant and Remembrance degrees. 
The minutes do suggest the English idea, 
and the degree itself resembles the work of 
Entwisle and suggests the American idea. 
But the fact is not established as to who 
wrote the degree, and we are in the dark on 
that point, so we might as well say so and 
pass on. 

A charge of seventy-five cents was made 
for this degree when it was first introduced, 
which was raised within a very short time to 
one dollar, and it was used more with the 
idea of being an additional degree than that 
it would be coupled with others for the pur- 
pose of developing another branch of the 
Order. During the first few years, until 
1827, the honor of receiving it was limited to 
past grands, who had been admitted by vote 
to membership in the Grand Lodge, and it 
was conferred in that body. Afterwards, to- 
gether with the Patriarchal and Royal Pur- 



244 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

pie degree, it was transferred to the En- 
campment branch of the Order, taking the 
second place in the Encampment ritual, which 
it now holds. 

While the Golden Rule degree was noth- 
ing more than a mere outline in the begin- 
ning — so much so that it was called a barren 
sketch without drapery — it is now clothed 
upon with beauty. It was a popular degree, 
however, from the time it was first con- 
ferred. In fact, its point and brevity was in 
its favor rather than against it. The proof 
of this is found in the statement made in the 
records that oi forty-live past grands admit- 
ted to the Grand Lodge in the first six years 
of its history forty-one took this degree. 
The fundamental principle of this degree is 
toleration, which is considered by the Order 
as one of the noblest attributes of human 
character. Those entering the patriarchal 
tent are sacredly charged to observe the 
Golden Rule, having a proper consideration 
of the rights of others under all circum- 
stances, to lay aside all prejudice that might 



Che (Ceremonial of the Order 245 

fill the heart, recognizing the great truth 
that the human family is one great brother- 
hood, as we are the children of a common 
Father and receive all things from a com- 
mon source. Gold has been selected as the 
emblematic color of this degree. 

Royal Purple Degree 

The next degree in the order of precedence 
in the Encampment branch is the Royal 
Purple, which was at first known as the fifth 
degree in Odd Fellowship. Like the Golden 
Rule degree, the question of its origin re- 
mains unanswered. Most writers agree that 
it is an American production and seem to be- 
lieve that it came forth from the brain of 
Wildey and received its polish from En- 
twisle, Boyd, and those with whom the 
founder of the Order consulted. He is sup- 
posed to have outlined it to his associates in 
fragments until all the parts were perfected 
with their help. While his friends could 
never persuade him to give the particulars 
of its production, he seems to have been its 



246 the Red Blood of Odd Tcllowsbi* 

chief originator, and it was assumed to be 
his work. 

Without anyone claiming to be its author, 
it found entrance to the Grand Lodge of the 
United States, March 30, 1825, when it was 
adopted by that body and ordered sent to 
the several Grand Lodges. It was conferred 
as the fifth degree upon past grands until 
1827, when it was placed as the last in the 
Encampment branch, which position it still 
holds. This degree has figured in the Order 
under a variety of names. It was first called 
the fifth degree because it was fifth in its 
adoption. It was then known as the Past 
Grands' degree, simply because it was con- 
ferred on past grands. Mazarine Blue de- 
gree was its next name; then it afterwards 
received the name of Purple degree, and 
lastly it was called the Royal Purple degree, 
the name which it now has. 

This degree very vividly sets forth and 
illustrates the pilgrimage of man. Here the 
Odd Fellow is reminded of the joys of child- 
hood, the ambitions of youth, the struggles 



Cbe Ceremonial of the Order 247 

of manhood, and then has graphically de- 
scribed the dangers and difficulties that 
every man has to encounter in his earthly 
pilgrimage. Here he is admonished to know 
himself and remember what the results of 
yielding to the evil propensities of his nature 
are, and what are the rewards of practicing 
the higher and nobler virtues. Only those 
who know what this degree is can really ap- 
preciate how it impresses its great and valu- 
able lesson upon the mind of the recipient. 
Many Odd Fellows assert that it is the real 
capsheaf of the ceremonial of our Frater- 
nity. The principles set forth in the pre- 
ceding degrees are dwelt upon in this, and 
their lessons are impressed upon the candi- 
date. Purple was selected as the emblematic 
color of this degree. 

Patriarchal Degree 

It is conceded that the Patriarchal degree 
is of English origin. It was prepared by 
Past Grand Smith of Duke of York Lodge, 
England, and was adopted by the Manches- 



24<s the Rca Blood of Odd fellowship 

ter Unity on the 23rd day of May, 1825. It 
was also ordered printed and disseminated 
throughout that Order. This degree was 
brought from England by Past Grand Mc- 
Cormick of Maryland and delivered to the 
Grand Lodge of the United States Septem- 
ber 25, 1825, and was conferred on Thomas 
Wildey and John Welch, and several other 
past grands, and afterwards transmitted to 
the various Grand Lodges. Its original pur- 
pose was to test the proficiency of its candi- 
dates in the previous degrees. Black was 
selected as the emblematic color of this 
degree. 

The fundamental principle chosen for the 
Patriarchal degree was hospitality, one of 
the cardinal virtues which was manifested 
far more in the lives of the patriarchs 
than in the lives of the men of this age, 
except in some parts of the East, where 
it is still a much-used and much-praised 
virtue. The candidate is pointed to the 
faith of Abraham as an example, admon- 
ished to seek after truth, and exhorted to 



Cfcc Ceremonial of the Order 249 

make virtue the great aim of his life; he is 
reminded of the rewards of these virtues 
which bless and refresh, like the dew of 
heaven, the life that is full of hospitality. 

Present Arrangement 

These degrees, like those of the Subordi- 
nate branch, have been revised frequently, 
and the evolution through which they have 
passed has wrought them out into beautiful 
ceremonies. They were conferred in the 
Grand Lodge of the United States until July 
6, 1827, when the Encampment branch of 
the Order had its origin by the institution of 
what was then called an "Encampment 
Lodge/' This branch of the Order admitted 
only those who had received the Scarlet de- 
gree in the lodge, and for the first time gave 
to these degrees the name of "Encampment 
degrees." It is not positively known when 
the present order of arrangement of these 
degrees took place, but it is most likely that 
it was with the institution of the first en- 
campment, for at that time the fees were 



250 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

fixed at three dollars for the Patriarchal, 
four for the Golden Rule, and five for the 
Royal Purple. The order of arrangement 
has been the same ever since. 

PATRIARCHS MILITANT DEGREE 

For many years before the ceremonial 
work of the Order specially provided for it, 
there was a demand among the younger 
members of the Order for a degree that 
would provide means whereby greater dis- 
play in the street parades could be made. To 
meet this demand uniform-degree camps 
were established, which later developed into 
the Patriarchs Militant. The development 
along this line furnishes interesting history 
which it is not possible to give in this kind 
of a sketch. 

At the session of the Sovereign Grand 
Lodge, held in 1881, a committee of five 
was appointed to prepare a degree suitable 
and appropriate for uniformed patriarchs. 
This committee, after considerable difficulty, 
succeeded in preparing the Uniformed de- 



€be Ceremonial of the Order 251 

gree and submitted it to the Sovereign 
Grand Lodge September 22, 1882, when it 
was adopted. This degree made member- 
ship in the Royal Purple degree essential to 
the obtaining and retaining of membership 
in the new degree. The organizations 
formed in accordance with this degree were 
called camps, and their members were called 
comrades. This degree as adopted was 
found to be unsuitable for the purposes and 
another degree called the Patriarchs Mili- 
tant was prepared and adopted by the Sov- 
ereign Grand Lodge September 24, 1885. 
It has only passed through one revision, and 
is now considered one of the beautiful de- 
grees of the Order, and adapted to the pur- 
poses for which it was prepared. 

OTHER DEGREES OF THE ORDER 

The Past Grands' degree, which was for- 
merly known as the Past Noble Grands' de- 
gree, is of English origin, but the date of its 
introduction is not known. However, it 
seems to have been introduced shortly after 



252 the tied Blood of Odd fellowship 

the English charter was received. This de- 
gree belongs entirely to what is called the se- 
cret work of the Order, having no lecture, 
and designed simply as a reward for official 
service in the lodge. It still retains its orig- 
inal form, and is usually conferred upon the 
past grands as soon as they have passed the 
chairs of the lodge. 

The Grand Lodge degree is of American 
origin, but no exact date of its preparation is 
given. It seems to have had its advent with 
the organization of Grand Lodges. It has 
no lecture, but has a moral in its peculiar 
password. Most likely it was produced in 
1 82 1 or 1822. It has never changed its 
form in any marked degree. 

The Grand Encampment degree was 
adopted September 22, 1842, and is similar 
in form to the Grand Lodge degree. 

The Rebekah degree was adopted Septem- 
ber, 1 85 1. It was intended at first as an 
honorary degree for Scarlet members and 
their wives, but has since been broadened in 
its scope. The principles dwelt upon in this 



Cbe Ceremonial of the Order 253 

degree and illustrated by different characters 
from the Bible are such as make up the beau- 
tiful attributes of human character. Pink 
and green, emblematic of steadfast friend- 
ship and eternal love, were selected as the 
colors of this degree. In the next article the 
history of the Rebekah degree will be more 
fully given. 



WOMAN'S RELATION TO ODD FELLOWSHIP 



No one denies that woman, in the early 
centuries, occupied a subordinate relation to 
man, and no one who is acquainted with the 
relative capacities of the men and women of 
to-day will assert that she was not more de- 
serving. In the days when war was consid- 
ered the only honorable pursuit, and those 
not qualified as soldiers were deemed fit only 
for the inferior stations in life, woman had 
to be content with what she could get. The 
weary fatigue of the march, the violent strife 
of battle, and the cruel scenes of war were 
too much for her delicate nature. Men wor- 
shiped muscle and strength, and women were 
relegated to the inferior positions and were 
considered good for nothing but to be the 
slaves of men. The possession of physical 

255 



256 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

power was considered divine authority for 
controlling others, and anyone destitute of 
such power was made subject to the control 
of those who possessed it. Woman's lack of 
physical development, therefore, hindered 
her in her competition with man and made 
her his slave. These ideas found their way 
into the social circle, the political arena, and 
the religious world; but we are glad to say 
that they permeate profane rather than 
sacred history, and portray the doings of 
men rather than the will of God. 

The ancient nations being heathen, their 
ideas of woman's relation to man were not in 
accordance with the divine plan. Under 
Pharaoh's rule the Jews became imbued with 
the notion of woman's inferiority to man, as 
they did with the spirit of idolatry. Yet 
woman's position among the Jews was higher 
than that accorded her by any other nation, 
because they had a portion of the sacred 
book, in which are found the principles of 
our Order, as their guide. By means of 
progressive education, however, God eradi- 



Woman's Relation to Odd fellowship 257 

cated these deep-seated errors from the Jew- 
ish life, so that long before the advent of 
Jesus they had voluntarily washed their 
hands of slavery, polygamy, and the subor- 
dination of women; and, in this respect, this 
one nation was obedient to the precepts of 
divine revelation. For other nations there 
is comfort only in the compassionate state- 
ment that the times of ignorance God over- 
looked. 

Woman's Powers 

Revelation says that God made man in his 
own image ; some worldly-wise men say that 
he developed from a monkey. In the former 
statement the term "man" includes both 
sexes. Revelation asserts that woman, as 
well as man, was made in the image of God. 
If you will permit me to express an opinion, 
I should say much more so. By the latter 
theory the development applies to woman as 
well as to man, which, of course, was a more 
skillful development. I am sure that of the 
two man would make the best monkey. Rev- 



258 tbc Red Blood of Odd Telloivsbip 

elation and science, therefore, both assert 
that man and woman were brought into ex- 
istence by the same creative power, or by the 
same developing power. And if God created 
both sexes in his own image, or if the eter- 
nal energy, as scientists say, produced both 
sexes in the same way, we are to conclude 
that one is as much endowed with privileges 
as the other. 

Now and then we find women who are not 
afraid of men — the kind who make preach- 
ers leave the word obey from the marriage 
ceremony; who tell us that woman was not 
made from the head of man, that he might 
rule over her, nor from his feet, that he 
might trample upon her, but from his side, 
that he might have her on an equality with 
himself. I once heard a woman say that man 
was made of dust and woman of refined dust; 
and another, that man was made of mud and 
woman of solid bone ; and another, that she 
was taken from the left side of man, nearest 
his heart, and put through a refining process 
that she might be made better than man, so 



Woman's Relation to Odd fellowship 259 

man would have a reason to love and honor 
her. 

I regard woman as the diapason of the 
hymn of creation, as the one to whom are 
committed the destinies of our species, in- 
teresting alike to the Creator and the crea- 
ture. If the morning stars in concert sang 
and the sons of God shouted together for joy 
when the drama of creation culminated in 
the person of Eve, can woman ever cease to 
be the strongest animating, life-giving force 
in the world's progress? I answer, No! and 
suggest that the name given by inspiration 
to the first woman indicates her mission in 
the world. She was called in Hebrew Hava, 
in Greek Zoe, in English Eve, each of these 
words in its own language meaning life, be- 
cause she was to be the life of the world. 
Life — the most felicitous and appropriate 
name — given to only one of the beings of 
God's creative power. What monosyllabic 
in universal speech indicates an object so 
dear to man as the idea of his own life? It 
is a representative of all that we include in 



a6o Cbe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

the idea of happiness or human progress. 
Well might the poetess be inspired to sing of 
the first of her generation : 

Last came a female form, more soft, more fair, 
And Eden smiled to see the stranger there ; 
Then tones of joy from harps seraphic rung, 
The stars of morning in their courses sung; 
Earth echoed back a shout of grateful love 
From every valley, cavern, stream and grove, 
Man, filled with praise, in solemn rapture stood, 
God bowed to view his work, and God pronounced 
it good. 

I hold that woman is a microcosm of ani- 
mated nature in a personal and social em- 
bodiment, in which Creator and creature are 
united in the holy bonds of an eternal com- 
pact, pregnant with all the elements of social 
being and social blessedness, that she is the 
life and spirit of all true and genuine civili- 
zation. The work done by woman and 
the interest exhibited in her education and 
social culture constitute the index of the civi- 
lization of every community under the broad 
heavens. We may test the morality, the 



Woman's Relation to Odd fellowship 261 

prosperity, the progress, and the strength 
of all nations and all people by the 
question, How stands woman amongst them ? 
Now, since the same truths apply to organi- 
zations, should we be surprised at the won- 
derful changes in our beloved Order for the 
better since women were admitted to mem- 
bership? Encourage Rebekah Odd Fellow- 
ship, and you will be administering a tonic 
and giving life to the other branches of the 
Order. 

Whether it be by the hand of God or the 
influence of the eternal energy, spoken of by 
Mr. Herbert Spencer, we know that condi- 
tions have changed insomuch that no man 
to-day doubts the capabilities of woman. I 
am truly glad to be among those who believe 
that God has directed such a development, 
and I rejoice in the fact that millions would 
not tolerate, in this period of the world's his- 
tory, many practices which were once uni- 
versal. I rejoice that the high position 
which was given to both sexes in the scale of 
creation is being shared nearly equally to- 



262 toe Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

day between them, and that the fatal error as 
to woman's inferiority has been crushed to 
the earth by the educational influences of the 
religion of the Bible, and as a member of our 
great Fraternity I rejoice the more that it 
recognizes the worth of woman and regards 
the religion of the Bible, Jewish or Chris- 
tian, as an integral part of itself. 

Adapted to the Work of the Order 

While it is true that in the early years of 
our Order conditions were unfavorable to 
the admission of women, and while it seemed 
that the leaders of our organization were 
prompted in their legislation by the predom- 
inant world theory rather than by the clear 
precepts of the Bible, from which the prin- 
ciples of our Order were taken, it is also true 
that the literature of Odd Fellowship has 
always given an honorable recognition to 
woman, even though she has had a hard 
struggle to gain admission into its sacred 
precincts. As it was formerly in the 
churches, there were men enough in this or- 



Woman's Relation to Odd fellowship 263 

ganization to decry any forward movement 
towards giving the gentler sex a place in its 
work. Of course, these were selfish men, 
who were afraid if they gave the ladies any 
encouragement they might take charge of 
the whole thing, issue bulls of excommunica- 
tion, and turn the men out to graze. 

Too remarkable has been the progress 
made by the women of the Nineteenth century 
for Odd Fellowship to fail to profit by their 
prayers, and work, and influence. That cen- 
tury will stand out prominently on the pages 
of history as the one that has been given its 
characteristic mark by the efforts of the gen- 
tler sex. More than any other century it has 
felt the touch of woman's hand. 

I know history tells us that in the days of 
chivalry the gloves of high-born ladies were 
carried on knightly shields, that the names 
of ladies of noble blood were used as war- 
cries on the fields of battle, and that many 
knights of great renown were the special 
champions of beautiful ladies of high degree ; 
but this was only a chivalric, sentimental ex- 



2^4 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

altation, which was paid to beauty of form 
and figure, to grace and elegance of manner, 
and to rank in social life, and was monopo- 
lized by a favored few. In this century she 
has proven that she is worthy of homage for 
intellectual development and power. She has 
made her influence felt in almost every 
branch of human activity. In literature, 
poetry, music, art, oratory, philosophy, paint- 
ing, and sculpture she is taking a prominent 
part. Who, then, would refuse her admis- 
sion to the privileges and work of this great 
fraternal organization? No one. She has 
fought her own battles, and now waves the 
palms of victory. 

Her First Fa.<vors 

Woman's fight for privileges in the Order 
makes interesting history. It was in the City 
of Baltimore, on September 18, 1845, tnat 
Representative Williamson of Alabama, the 
first champion of woman's rights in Odd 
Fellowship, began the struggle that lasted 
five years by introducing in the Grand 



Woman's Relation to Odd fellowship 265 

Lodge of the United States a resolution to 
adopt some measure by which the wives of 
Odd Fellows might be enabled to make 
themselves known to members of the Order 
and prove themselves when among stran- 
gers. The resolution was referred to a spe- 
cial committee, whose members lined up for 
and against it, the majority commending 
the adoption of the resolution. But when 
the report of this committee was considered 
there were enough of those weak-kneed 
brothers present who were afraid the women 
would take possession of the whole of Odd 
Fellowship and turn them out to graze to 
defeat the majority and adopt the minority 
report. How the Rebekahs should rejoice 
that this minority report did not serve as the 
cannon to blow them completely out of exist- 
ence ! It was not of the bold, crushing kind, 
but recommended that the wives of Odd Fel- 
lows might be granted cards, by a two- 
thirds vote of the members of a lodge, which 
would show they were wives of Odd Fel- 
lows, and therefore entitled to friendship and 



266 tbt Ked Blood of Odd fellowship 

protection for one year. What noble fel- 
lows these odd men were to give their wives, 
by a two-thirds vote, the privilege of telling 
men of like faith that their husbands were 
Odd Fellows, and when they told this they 
were entitled to friendship and protection 
for one year, and no longer. 

Five long years passed, in which many 
wives took advantage of the blessed privi- 
leges which were theirs of telling other 
wives' husbands that their husbands were 
Odd Fellows. Then came forth that other 
champion — Representative Smith of New 
York — who introduced a resolution direct- 
ing the committee on the state of the Order 
to inquire into the propriety of instituting an 
appropriate honorary degree for the wives 
and daughters of age of Scarlet-degree 
members and of past officers. It was too hot 
for this committee, so they at once dropped 
it into the hands of the committee on legisla- 
tion. If anybody got his hands burnt or 
was sent to graze they wanted to be out of it. 
No sooner had this matter fallen into the 



Woman's Relation to Odd fellowship 267 

hands of these legislators than they began to 
toss it from one to the other, which proced- 
ure resulted in the lining up of forces for 
and against the resolution. The majority 
report stated that the institution of such a 
degree was unadvised and inappropriate. 

Colfax Her Champion 

It was here that Rebekah Odd Fellowship 
trembled in the balance, and it seemed that 
its cause was lost. This was the darkness 
just before dawn which was densest; the 
cloud just before the storm which was 
blackest. It often happens that when we are 
seemingly completely overwhelmed with op- 
position and we feel that our efforts are 
futile, a friend rises up and forces an open- 
ing for the sunlight. So it was when the 
interests of our women were at stake. The 
champion Colfax came to the rescue; and, 
after an able and exhaustive argument fa- 
voring the establishment of the Rebekah 
degree, persuaded the Grand Lodge of the 
United States to adopt his minority report, 



268 the Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

which provided that a committee of three be 
appointed to prepare an appropriate hon- 
orary degree, with accompanying signs and 
passwords, to be conferred on the wives of 
the members of the Order. 

Other brothers entertained and promul- 
gated ideas of the Rebekah degree; other 
brothers planned for the same and intro- 
duced resolutions advocating its establish- 
ment; but the great mind which grouped 
these ideas and arranged the details, the 
master mechanic who got rid of the irregu- 
larities, shaped the material, erected the 
splendid edifice, he who fascinated and 
charmed the world of Odd Fellowship by his 
genius, was the champion Colfax. His pro- 
found study of existing conditions and his 
wonderful insight peculiarly adapted him for 
his great work. His convictions were clear 
and established, his will was firm and made 
up; hence he was the strongest advocate, 
and of all others seems to have been the one 
"to launch upon the sea of humanity the cul- 
mination of the hopes and desires of those 



Woman's Relation to Odd fellowship 269 

noble women whose intimate connection 
with the members of this great brotherhood 
had led them to seek a part in the practical 
workings of its undying principles — Friend- 
ship, Love, and Truth." It was a labor of 
love to the great Colfax, and when, on Sep- 
tember 20, 185 1, his completed work was 
adopted by the Grand Lodge of the United 
States, his cup was filled with happiness al- 
most to overflowing. 

While this was a great victory for the 
ladies, it was not the organization of the 
Rebekah branch as it is to-day. Oh, no ! A 
woman always has to fight for what she gets. 
There were still men who were afraid of be- 
ing excommunicated, and advanced the plea 
that the women were not capable of attend- 
ing to the business matters of the lodge, and 
this was made a side degree, and not an inte- 
gral part of the Order. Men did not know 
then that women can write business letters 
as well as love letters, and talk a man into 
signing an application for membership as 
well as to persuade him to enter a battle 



270 tin Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

where he is likely to meet a combatant with 
a broomstick. They did not know that a 
woman can keep a set of books as well as 
calculate how much "bombazine" it requires 
to make suits for eight or ten children ; nor 
did they realize that a woman can vote as 
well as train a half-dozen boys who will 
in after life wield that power for the men. 
But they gradually found this out, and as 
they learned that their prisoners were very 
gentle and not dangerous they lengthened 
the ropes of legislation. 

The translation of the ritual into German ; 
the admission of widows, daughters, and 
sisters of Odd Fellows; the introduction of 
the visiting card ; the formation of Rebekah 
lodges; the privilege of conferring the de- 
gree in the Rebekah lodges; the admission 
of all unmarried white women who have at- 
tained the age of eighteen years, mark the 
different degrees of rope-lengthening. The 
Rebekah branch is now an integral part of 
Odd Fellowship, having Rebekah Assem- 
blies, some of which actually have the privi- 



Woman's Relation to Odd fellowship 271 

lege of ordering their supplies direct from 
the Sovereign Grand Lodge. It is now a 
great army numbering 411,955 brave sol- 
diers, showing an increase each year of about 
fifteen thousand willing workers. And no 
fraternal organization can furnish a grander 
sphere for woman's work. 

What She Does in the Order 

One of the cardinal objects of Odd Fel- 
lowship is to visit and care for the sick, and 
no one can do this as successfully as woman. 
There is more tenderness in her sympathy 
than in man's, and she is better qualified to 
make the sick and suffering one's case her 
own. That lightness of step which indicates 
thoughtfulness and delicate caution, and that 
depth of affection which gives a magnetism 
to her touch as she gently strokes the fevered 
brow, makes her almost an angel in the sick- 
room, and there is an inspiration and help- 
fulness for the invalid in everything she says 
and does. It was woman who first con- 
ceived the idea of the establishment of hos- 



272 ti>c Red Blood of Odd fellowship 

pitals; and in those institutions, as in the 
homes, they have ever made the most suc- 
cessful and self-sacrificing nurses. 

Another cardinal principle of our Order is 
to relieve the distressed, and who can lift up 
the drooping heads and pour the oil of com- 
fort into the bruised hearts like woman ? She 
can bring comfort to the sorrowing and 
cheer to the distressed where man will fail. 
When a wife has lost a faithful husband, or 
a mother an innocent child, or a daughter a 
loving parent, woman is the natural com- 
forter; her sympathetic nature enables her 
to dispel the dark clouds of sorrow, and the 
very touch of her tender, sympathetic wom- 
an's hand on the hand of the sorrowing sister 
will cause the sister to feel that all are not 
dead, that there are those who live and love, 
and hold themselves in readiness to serve her. 

It is this spirit of sympathy and this desire 
to help that has made woman such a factor 
in Odd Fellowship. She is a compassionate 
helper with the distressed, a ministering 
angel with the sick, and an inspiring com- 



Woman's Relation to Odd fellowship 273 

forter when the great anchor of hope needs 
to be lifted up and fastened to that which is 
within the veil. Since woman entered our 
sacred precincts she has helped us to dis- 
countenance a practice that has broken up 
many families and made thousands of wid- 
ows and orphans, and she has given her 
prayers, and her hand, and her heart to the 
great enterprise of building homes and asy- 
lums in order that none of our little ones, 
none of our feeble ones, none of our desti- 
tute ones, may be thrown as outcasts upon 
the cold charity of the world. Rebekah Odd 
Fellowship is a living branch, and is perme- 
ated by the same spirit which permeates the 
whole of this great fraternal organization. 
And this is a living spirit which gives force 
to the principles of Friendship, Love, and 
Truth, and binds together in unity more 
than a million human lives for the purpose 
of alleviating human suffering and bettering 
the condition of the whole world. 

THE END. 



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